


The Devil's Lion

by Nevijek



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Religious, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst and Feels, Domestic Fluff, Dubious Science, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Mental Health Issues, Mild Sexual Content, Older Woman/Younger Man, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Religious Conflict, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2019-10-19 09:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 32,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17598485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevijek/pseuds/Nevijek
Summary: (Modern AU — Future / Post Apocalyptic)Sylvanas is a veteran of the Fifth World War. Now a scientist, she's at the brink of creating a ground-breaking serum that will forever change those affected by the biochemical strains that nearly wiped out all of civilization. Opposed by the Church of Light, she meets Anduin Wrynn at a protest, and the two begin an unlikely affair despite their polar opposite opinions on life and death.





	1. Push

Sylvanas Windrunner kicked off her black stilettos as soon as she crossed the threshold of the front door of his apartment. She dropped her briefcase, slid the zipper of her dark pencil skirt down and slipped out of it, leaving it on the floor. The pantyhose itched and she longed to be rid of them too, but she knew how much he loved pulling those off of her long legs, so she endured the torture a little longer. The apartment was a small, stuffy space, decorated in terribly antiquated taste, with too many blue and earth tones for her liking. He sacrificed furniture for shelf space to keep about a hundred dusty, worn books and all manner of trinkets he had acquired around the world. After high school he had suffered an identity crisis that left him with a need to see how the rest of the world lived. There were photographs of him and all those strangers he’d met framed on the walls; he didn’t want to forget any of the lessons each person had taught him. His home seemed more like the sanctuary of a hoarder old lady than the abode of a young man in college, but Sylvanas supposed that was part of the appeal — that he _was_ different. Anduin Wrynn considered things most people his age would not and saw life through an interesting lens. He had surprised her in so many ways. The more she got to know him, despite how hard she had tried to keep their relationship strictly physical, the more fascinating he had become. Most of the time she succeeded in keeping things physical. He had an insatiable hunger for sex, though he swore it wasn’t about _that_ ; he said it was _her_ — that she was the one who made him lose control and forget all the principles he should have upheld and inspired a passion he would have saved for his wife. 

_What are you up to again?_

The kitchen was beyond the tiny living room, the open layout of the one bedroom apartment leaving no place hidden from her view. She liked the floor plan. She loved seeing him walk around naked when he got out of bed and thought her deeply asleep. He had a nice, toned body — that round ass — and she loved to admire him when he wasn’t aware or self-conscious of his nudity. That evening he wore fitted blue jeans and a fluffy turtleneck sweater in a shade of teal. The only thing that was ridiculous was the daisy-pattern apron he had salvaged from a thrift store. Music played softly in the background; it was her favorite piano and saxophone duet. The melody was quite similar to what had been playing at the bar the night they coincided for a second time. Anduin had taken to making her dinner for over a month now, a tradition she had not yet fully accepted due to its implications. Whatever he was cooking smelled like heaven, so she would forgive his insistence on feeding her. He had learned to cook on his own, sometime after he left his parents house to pursue a life on his terms. Much to the detriment of his neighbors, who had been scared one too many times by _almost fires_ , the blond man continued his cooking experiments in his spare time. Though she _was_ hungry, having skipped lunch, what she wanted was more than food. Sylvanas wanted _him._ She had waited all day to have her reward. In a few strides she closed the gap between them and coiled her leg around him to pull him far enough from the stove to disrupt his task. He dipped a finger in the sauce and raised it to her lips. With a smirk she slid down his forefinger with a smoldering look. His cheeks colored beautifully, just as she hoped.

“You need to be taught some manners again,” she pinned his sensitive earlobe between her teeth, feeling him shudder in response. “I come and you do not even turn to look at me.”

Anduin was a patient man — infuriatingly so. He moved the pot to another burner, one that wasn’t on, and shut off the heat of the active one. He explained what she already knew.

“I’m trying to create an atmosphere first,” he said. “Making dinner for the lady in my heart, putting on some of her favorite music and _then_ doing whatever she pleases is my plan every night.”

“Your lady doesn’t need all that fuss.”

He turned and carried her over to the kitchen island, setting her there like she weighed nothing. He had already made the salad, she noted. He was very good at chopping things into perfect squares. He was very precise in what he did — very thorough. She liked that about him since it applied to everything, even sex.

“But I do,” he insisted. “I want to fuss about you and I’d like you to let me.”

She smiled at the way he blushed because there was a double meaning in those words. She had been his second intimate encounter, though his first at what he considered _traditional intercourse._ Apparently, there had been someone in one of his many travels who had wanted to give him a good time with their mouth and he had been too intoxicated and turned on to refuse. For being the son of a prominent religious family, who operated a mega church — and a student of theology who aspired to have a pastorship — he was not like she thought he would be; not as a lover or as a person. Sylvanas placed her arms around his neck and tempted him with a kiss which he immediately gave into.

“Stop this.” He bit her lower lip in reproach. “I worked hard to mimic the taste you like in that sauce. I still need to cook the pasta. I was waiting for you to arrive.”

“You are the taste I am after, Little Lion.”

He groaned when her hand found his bulge. Grabbing her wrists, he held her hands behind her back. She played along with him for his satisfaction. “Now I know how my mother must have felt slaving away in the kitchen to have her efforts ignored.”

She nipped at his chin. “You _almost_ succeeded in making me feel bad for wanting a different kind of appetizer.”

His blue eyes were as clear as a summer day. She had always been appreciative of beauty and he was dangerously handsome. She loved the sprinkling of freckles, the strong jaw line, the flush color of his lips. He was so young, so fresh and vibrant — so full of life, dreams, and hope — and she was _not._ He did not realize it, could not even imagine, just what was happening to her beneath the surface of her perfectly peach flesh. Anduin could never guess what terrifying memories lurked in the depths. 

“Hey…” He brushed her nose with his. “Don’t disappear into that head space. I told you that isn’t allowed in my home.”

“You want to make _this_ into something more than it has to be, Anduin. Don’t. Don’t make this _feel_ like a home. I did not engage in this relationship for domestic bliss.”

“Why did you engage me, then?”

“You know the answer.”

He smiled. “To prove you could corrupt a religious man?”

“We have been over this.”

“No, we have not. _You_ have been over this. You have set the rules and the pace and I have gone along, but I think we are at a point where this no longer fits the definition of what you wanted.”

“I am twelve years your senior.”

“That did not stop you when you decided to engage me.”

“But it stops me from taking this where _you_ want to take it.”

His eyes searched hers. “Why?”

“I am not a preacher. I don’t have the habit of playing my words like a broken record.”

“I want the real reason, Sylvanas. This isn’t about our age gap. That is only a convenient excuse.”

“I will tell you something that isn’t an excuse, Anduin. The members of your congregation, for example. They mob me almost every day to remind me just what a terrible person I am. Your father preaches against me — against the work we do — and you expect me to make this relationship deeper? To take it to the next level? When it can _never_ work out?”

“This is about you and me, not the church or my father, Sylvanas.”

“They will make you choose, Anduin.”

“And you think I would not choose you?”

“Do you want to be a preacher or not? Because if you do, then fornicating with a devil like me is against the million rules your divinity placed.” She scoffed. “Or what? Are you going to propose to me?”

“Would that be unreasonable someday?”

Sylvanas rolled her eyes, certain he couldn’t possibly be serious in asking that — it had to be a joke — but when he did not waver or clarify or smile like he always did when he was being humorous, she realized he had honestly considered it. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She knew he was a dreamer, but he wasn’t a fool. His sheltered life hadn’t left him blind. Anduin had seen some of the world, enough to at least mature him beyond such an impossible notion. He was not naive. He might be innocent in harmless ways and stubbornly optimistic, but he was not stupid. Yet there he stood, wondering how a marriage proposal could be unreasonable _someday?_ Had he honestly forgotten how different they were? Did he not see the futility of pushing for something that would crack under the world’s pressure?

“Do you remember how we met, Anduin?”

“Of course, I do.”

“It was after a press conference in which I personally spoke of the great advancements we had made in developing a vaccine for the strains left after the war…” Her lips pressed into a hard line and she had to take a moment to swallow the anger that rose at the thought of all those ignorant people waiting to lynch her that day. “You were among the protestors, Anduin. You were with a group of people who called me a devil and assured me I was going to hell for trying to find solutions that your divinity has failed to give this world. If I have this opinion of the faith you hold dear and you find the science I practice so repulsive, what more can exist between us than just a mutually satisfying sexual relationship where we keep things simple and casual and never touch on these subjects?”

Anduin clenched his jaw, but did not move away or contradict her. He had her pinned against that damned counter — and she was livid — but all she could think of was how badly she wanted him to take her right there. The fire in his eyes whenever she challenged or provoked him was almost as damning as his gaze when he was buried deep inside of her. She could feel the tension between them like an electric current and he could not hide his own reaction to their explosive connection. She had been taken by him the moment she saw him at that protest. She cursed herself for allowing him to reduce her to this carnal mess.

He observed her a moment longer, as if measuring his response.

“Is what I want really so hard to attain or at least understand?” His eyes fell to her lips before flipping back to her richer blues. “I may not agree with everything you do, I may have my personal values, which I have never forced on you since that day, I must add, but…” Here, his voice hitched, the emotion swelling in his eyes. “I still want more than a few hours with you in my bed every evening. You need not change. And you have never made me feel like I must change either. This is the first time you have mocked my faith since our fateful second meeting and you’re doing it to push me away and prove we cannot be more than this based on our values, which haven’t interfered once until now. Which don’t have to interfere because we can mutually respect one another. In spite of what you think of my faith, you respect it and _me._ You would not let me into your bed if you truly thought me a fanatical—”

“It is technically your bed…”

“Well, you would not climb into my bed if I were—” He sighed. “You are doing this to get a rise out of me, aren’t you? Look at you trying to hide that smirk. Sylvanas, I’m serious. Can we really not be more than just two people who have casual sex?”

He punctuated the question with a sweet kiss. It disarmed her and made her lean into him and _almost_ give in. His hands went under the silk of her blouse and set her skin ablaze. He was not making a good case against having more than just a sexual relationship like this. However, she couldn’t forget that upgrading their relationship to something more _meaningful_ was his ultimate motive. With a moan, she broke from the kiss. He tried to take her lips again, but a firm push against his solid chest made him realize it was her turn to be serious.

“This is enough for me.”

“You know it isn't. I can feel it isn't enough for you either.”

She snorted. “Anduin, I know you understand where I am coming from. Why do I have to explain it?”

“Because sometimes you have to say things, Sylvanas. You can’t keep everything inside all the time. Tell me. What is it about me — not my family or religion or our age gap — that makes it impossible to consider me being more than just a… than just a…”

She sneered. “Booty call?”

He grimaced. “A rather crude term, but yes.”

“That’s the tamest of the terms kids your age use.”

“Stop calling me a kid. Stop marking the gap. The number means nothing.”

“Don’t growl at me,” she whispered. “You know it turns me on when you get mad. Isn’t that how we ended up here?”

“I believe we mutually drove each other past our limits, yes.”

“And we did the dirty deed in my car.”

He reddened like the tomatoes he had cut for the salad. “Don’t remind me, please.”

“At least it was a very _nice_ car to lose your virginity in.”

“Everything was nice, until the police showed up.”

She laughed. “My poor little lion cub! How traumatized he must have been to see how I bought that officer's cooperation so easily.”

“Don’t mock me about that. I will never stop believing everyone is capable of good, even if he did wrong in accepting your bribe.”

“He’s frowning,” she teased. “Look at how upset he is.”

“You’re going to kill me, Sylvanas. You have no idea how much I am affected by everything you do.”

She quirked a brow, a smirk on her lips. “I think I have a pretty good _grasp_ of that, yes.”

Anduin groaned at her touch, his eyes darkening. The blush deepened into a delectable shade that drove her to kiss him until she left him completely breathless. By the time they had parted she had managed to get the apron and sweater off and he’d discarded her blouse and undone her bra. It felt so good to press her nipples against his sculpted chest and see what doing so did for the situation inside his jeans. He really had the restraint of a saint; to be so young and aroused and yet so determined to make her wait to have all of him and argue first.

"Your preacher of a father would be  _so proud_ of your control, Little Lion."

"My goodness, Sylvanas... stop torturing me."

“We have a good thing going,” she purred. “Why do you want to complicate it, Anduin?”

“Because my feelings for you are deeper than this.”

Those words felt like she had been pushed into a freezing lake. Sylvanas had known he was fond of her, that he was smitten, and it was understandable that he would be since she was the first real woman in his life. Even his mention of marriage hadn’t alarmed her because it seemed like nothing more than a consequence of his upbringing, which placed premarital sex in a shameful light. Yet the _way_ he touched her was so tender, so honest and vulnerable that it elicited a wave of pleasurable warmth and comfort and _love_ she had not felt in a long time and that didn’t want to feel again. When he looked at her, what she saw left her speechless. Sylvanas found herself shaking her head before he could say a word. She put distance between them, stepping out of his embrace. The apartment had never felt so cold, but the chill allowed her clarity.

“The moment you say it, I walk out and never come back.”

“I know. I accepted that. Why do you think I’ve swallowed my feelings all this time? I would rather have you, even like this, even if it means that a part of me dies a little when you leave each night. It's better than not having you at all.”

“You make me _feel_ it, Anduin. Which is the same thing.”

“Don’t twist your own rules. You never said I couldn’t demonstrate it, Sylvanas. You only said I could not speak of my feelings. I have not done that. I will die with those words in my throat.”

“You really should go into law. Finding loopholes is your specialty," she sighed. "I am not who you think I am, Anduin. You only see a very small fraction, a very conveniently good side of me. I was in the military. I served in the war. I did many things. I saw—”

His hands gently went around her waist and he placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. “You saw horrible things, I know.”

“No, Anduin, you don’t know. I didn’t just see those things, I _lived_ them. I… I survived the unthinkable.”

Her hands went cold. She felt herself tremble. Sylvanas counted, identified objects of the same color, and took very deep, slow breaths. The panic crept past her reason, a force so strong and beyond her control that it made her teeth clatter. She felt the entire scene before her disintegrating into a memory. She couldn’t let him see the extent of the trauma. He was the only person in her life who didn’t know her before the war or noticed how much it had changed her. He had met her as she was — scarred, bitter, and broken. He accepted her like that. As much as she wanted him to think that he didn’t know all sides of her, the truth was he did. He had seen her. He had seen who she was, who she had to become, and the inner battle she waged on her own.

_Why now of all times?_

Anduin got in front of her. He said something, but she could not hear the words. His hands were on her face, pulling her into his serene eyes. He said something under his breath, then he kissed her forehead, her nose. She focused on him, but her mind was slipping. She felt him move her to the couch. He uttered words, probably a prayer. She had prayed too. She had prayed in the battlefield, when they took her hostage, when and while they tortured her — she had prayed like crazy, with faith she didn't know she could muster, and all she was met with was silence, and violence. Anduin rubbed her clammy hands between his larger, warm ones. He was so soothing. His voice was so melodic and luring. He had placed a blanket over her. He was right next to her. Their linked hands looked good together. She focused on how perfectly their fingers twined. They were silent for a long time. Certainly long enough for the sauce to have gotten cold. What a shame; it was delicious. She wished she would have told him as much when it mattered.

"Stay with me, Sylvanas... don't let the darkness creep back."

She glanced at him. “You won’t ask about it?”

“You will tell me when and _if_ you are ready. Do you need some water? Is there something you should take for this? I can bring your briefcase if you need me to.”

“You aren’t surprised?”

“You are a veteran of war,” he said. “How could I expect you to not have some degree of PTSD? Is there anything I should do when you get like this? Anything I could do to better comfort you? My father always has a rubber band on his wrist. When he couldn’t coordinate to snap it, I would do it for him. Then, I sang his favorite hymn and that usually brought him back.”

“He has flashbacks, too? I guess even a holy man isn’t immune to the cruelty of war.”

“I was a child when he volunteered and got drafted like many common men were. He came back changed. It's understandable.”

“Yes, death changes us all.”

“I’ll start some tea for you.”

Sylvanas held him back. His nurturing patience made her heart throb with pain. He was truly too pure for her darkness. “I told you, don’t fuss. And I... I should leave.”

He shook his head. “Don’t.”

“You have said it yourself. We have reached a point where we can no longer just casually meet. You are invested now. You want more and I—”

“I haven’t _said_ it, Sylvanas. Don’t do this to me. Please.”

“You said you could probably choose me over your family, to some extent you have even chosen me over your faith, when meeting me like this betrays your values, but I can never reciprocate that. I would never choose you over my life’s work.”

“I am not asking you to choose between your profession and me. I am not asking you to even choose me, Sylvanas. All I want is for you to let _me_ choose you. I want to choose you. I want to be with you.”

“You want a relationship that lasts forever and I cannot give you that.”

“I’m not asking you for a lifetime. What I want is for whatever time you give me to entail more than just sex.”

“You want us to date and do mundane, meaningless things?”

“You make it sound like it’s something preposterous. What are you afraid of? That you might like me as more than your lover?"

"Anduin, you're pushing your luck."

"You even shy away from something simple like having dinner. A strong woman like you, with such solid convictions and will power is compromised by a simple home cooked meal?”

“We both know it isn’t a simple meal. You put your heart into it. The food demonstrates your... _feelings..._ and by indulging you, I am accepting those feelings. You will feel hope, and it will lead you on, and I... I am not suited to be the partner you wish me to be. You can end this with me and find a suitable girl. Someone who will want the same things, perhaps share your faith—”

"Stop that. Stop reducing this to general yearnings that anyone can fulfill. I want  _you_ — not some girl. You may not know this, but I never intended to marry. My goal in life was to travel and take the word to others who need it. Bring them Light... I intended to devote my life to my faith."

Sylvanas shed the blanket and went to pick up her skirt. "By all means, don't let me ruin such selfless plans."

Anduin stopped her. He tossed the garment over his shoulder and pierced her with a gaze that promised he wouldn’t let her go anywhere. “You’re leaving without taking what you came for?”

“It seems you are no longer willing to give me just that.”

“I’m still more than willing, Miss Windrunner.”

Anduin pushed her back to the couch, but Sylvanas quickly climbed onto his lap. "Let's see this willingness first-hand."

He had a hard time keeping his eyes away from her breasts. Taking his hands, she placed them on each mound and encouraged him to have his way with them. He rolled her hard nipple between his fingers and took the other into his mouth. She arched into him, holding his head flush against her, burying her fingers through his silky tresses, enjoying every bit of his teasing torture. Sylvanas had come back to him, over and over, for the mere pleasure of their union. She liked him. She had taught him how to satisfy her and she loved returning the favors; it pleased her to see how he came undone with her experience. She liked that he was young, full of vigor, and that he still managed to value her as more than just an outlet for his sexual diversion. If she was honest with herself, she had always yearned for _this_. To be worshipped and wanted and nurtured — all at once.

Anduin’s lips trailed down her body, his tongue dipping into her belly button as his hands pulled down panties and stockings in one swift motion. He ran his fingers down her slit, feeling her arousal, knowing she was ready for him to dip two fingers into her opening. His thumb caressed her sensitive bud in a perfectly steady rhythm. He devoted himself to her pleasure, tearing sounds from her that would raise the dead from their eternal slumber. Anduin lowered himself between her legs, trailing kisses down her inner thigh, and when he was a breath away from tasting her, their eyes locked. His pupils had nearly swallowed the blue with desire, but there was also a sadness there, a desperation that made her heart shatter. She reached for him and pulled him up. Their bodies were pressed together and she could feel his frantic heart. He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as if ashamed.

“You think this is our last time?”

He opened his eyes. “I _desperately_ hope not.”

“You keep looking at me this way.”

His voice shook with vehemence. “I… I can’t see you any other way, Sylvanas. Blindfold me, if it bothers you. Do whatever you need to keep denying this, but... don't end this."

Tears stung her eyes. “Damn it, Anduin.”

"I'm sorry."

“Why are you doing this to me? I was perfectly content with what we had, but now I— now I want—”

_You... this... more... more of you, more of this... more of everything._

He nuzzled her neck, placing a kiss there. “Tell me.”

"No...  _you_ tell me. I—I want to hear it."

He looked at her. “What did you say you wanted?”

“I want to hear it… the words you told me you would take to your grave. Just… just say it.”

“And you won’t walk away?”

She rolled her eyes. “Must I really clarify the obvious?”

“Yes. You can be very cruel. You would turn around and say I broke the condition, in spite of it being your petition to do so. I want you to guarantee you will not use my confession to run away.”

“Boy, I would not _run_ from you.”

“You have kept yourself just beyond my reach, Sylvanas. It has the same effect as running.”

“Feelings were not required in our relationship.”

“And now?”

She would not let him have the satisfaction of _her_ admission. She huffed, looking away. “I blame your food.”

His smile was more radiant than the sun. “What changed your mind? You were about to walk away, you were going to end things with me, and now you—”

“I don’t want to see such a pitiful expression between my legs, Anduin. It kills the mood.”

“Is it so hard for you to admit you might want what I do?”

“Feelings aren’t suited to me and sappy confessions are unbecoming of me, too.”

“I want you to feel, though.” He put her open palm over his heart. “I want you to know how much you move me. I want you to know how I…” He caressed her cheeks, wiping a tear she hadn’t even noticed falling. His eyes were luminous with so many emotions. “I love you, Sylvanas Windrunner. I have been completely yours all this time. I would love nothing more than spending my life with you, but I would be more than happy if you could let me be even a small part of yours.”

_You silly boy… you are more than just a small part._

_Against my better judgment or wishes…_

“You fearless lion,” she said. “Offering yourself to the devil like this.”

“I would gladly be the devil’s lion, so long as that devil is you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic takes place in an alternate Earth and no particular religion or faith is intended to be represented within this narrative in respect to all real-world religions. The Church of Light steals elements from in-game priest/paladin values, mixed with other ideas, and inevitably may seem like it is based on a few real-life religions, but this isn’t the intention. Alternatively, I will not be disclosing where this takes place as all cities/towns will be fictional. Our world history isn’t necessarily canon either, but some events and common failings of our society may be similar. Thanks for reading!


	2. Shove

Anduin’s apartment had the magic of making it seem like time had stopped. There were no clocks, he never had his mobile around, and she always lost her wristwatch when they peeled off all the things that stood in the way of feeling each other bare. When she opened her eyes, the place was dark; she knew it was late and that she had to go. She allowed herself just a few more precious seconds to feel the wonderful heat of his naked body, the two swathed in flannel sheets that she always teased him for having. Anduin had his arm draped around her, spooning as he loved to do, with his lips pressed against her neck in what she assumed had been a goodnight kiss that fell off due to his depleted stamina. It felt so intimate and real that it twisted her longing. If she was honest with herself, she wanted to stay there, but she also understood she couldn’t. The habit of staying would form and soon she would find herself living with him as he wanted and that was simply impossible. Carefully, as to not wake him, she pulled the covers away. Fingers dug into her waist, pulling her back. Anduin nuzzled her neck murmuring something unintelligible. Turning, she traced the line of his delectable lips. She could not see him, but she had memorized every little part of him already. He bit her finger teasingly. He wasn’t asleep like she had assumed; he had gotten better at pretending he was. Perhaps to do this — to try and delay the inevitable.

“Stay…” His voice was husky with exhaustion. “It’s just one night… it won’t change anything.”

“We both know that’s a lie.”

“Please…” he whispered against her lips. “I want to wake up next to you. Just once.”

Sylvanas reached over him for the light switch and he took the opportunity to dip his head under her to bury his face between her breasts. Strong arms wrapped over her, pinning her on his body.

She laughed. “Anduin, stop this.”

He slid his lips across her skin to take one of her nipples into his mouth, his other hand kneading her just as she liked it. She arched into him, biting her tongue to keep herself from groaning. He was becoming an addiction and she wasn’t sure it was good for him to have such power. She reclaimed control by pulling that beautiful face to meet her mouth in a searing kiss. In relationships, there was rarely a perfect balance — an even ratio of want or love — there was always a tip in the scale, and for a long time that had been in her favor, but now it wasn’t so clear she had the upper hand.

“There is another feline I must tend to,” she bit his lip when he tried to pry his way between her legs to stroke her. “We can try those oils you’ve been telling me about later today…”

“Why not now?” She marveled at her reflection in his blue eyes. “You told me she’s taken care of in your absence.”

The _she_ in question was Lady — her one-eyed black cat.  Sylvanas had rescued the poor thing when it had been a kitten. One day, her chauffeur had been forced to detour through a questionable neighborhood in the city. While at a red light, Sylvanas witnessed the abandonment of the kitten. The owner had left it in a box by the dumpster, as if it were trash, probably due to its missing eye. She didn’t know why it bothered her; she had seen countless animals left behind and homeless before, but that particular pitiful creature made her leave the car and take it home. They had been together since.

“That does not mean I can afford to neglect her. She likes to know I am _there._ ”

He was moved by her care, but not enough to relent. “It’s already so late, Sylvanas. I worry about you driving at this hour.”

She smiled against his lips. “You are full of excuses.”

“Will any of them convince you?”

“Perhaps. I _am_ tired.”

Anduin kissed her forehead and pulled her to rest on his ample, muscled chest. “Then stay. I’ll make you breakfast. I bet you only drink coffee in the mornings and starve until lunch.”

“I would hire you to cook for me, but my chef would not appreciate it.”

“I’m sure their food is delicious, but they don’t have what I do; the best ingredient—”

“If you say _love_ I am going to bite you somewhere you won’t like, Anduin.”

“I welcome you biting me anywhere you want because yes, love _is_ the special ingredient.”

“You really want to be bitten,” she purred.

“I am all yours to have and do as you please with.”

“Mmm. Yet, there it is again,” she chided. “That sadness seeping through. You say there’s no room for my brooding, but you— what is it, Anduin?”

“It’s nothing… I just had a dream earlier. One you’ve admonished me not to harbor.”

She sighed and propped herself up to look at him. “Marriage? The white picket fence?”

“And children,” he said with a rueful grin. “The girl looked just like you… and the boy... also looked like you. Your genes dominated completely.”

Sylvanas nestled back on his shoulder. Children. Another impossibility for her. She had not told him. There had never been a need to do so. Their relationship had been strictly sexual. They weren’t supposed to discuss anything as serious as family. She should not feel sorrow in realizing it was an impossibility and she certainly shouldn’t have humored his fantasy.

“As long as they have your kindness,” she whispered. “I think they would turn out decent.”

“You are good too, Mrs. Wrynn.”

“Excuse me? Mrs. Wrynn?” She scoffed. “No, no… it would be Mr. Windrunner. We are now a progressive society. At least the majority of us are! The men my sisters married took our name.”

Anduin’s laughter rumbled through her. “How about a compromise? A middle ground, like Wrynnrunner, perhaps?”

She considered it. “Too many N’s for my liking.”

They both knew she was playing along for his benefit, but it didn’t deter him. “Do you want children, Sylvanas? I shouldn’t assume you would.”

“I considered it... once.”

“How many would you have wanted?”

“A pair. It would be too lonely otherwise.”

“It is indeed. I would have wanted a sibling. There was Valeera, but she was more like a maternal figure than a real sibling. If anything she was more a baby sister to my father than me. I didn’t have that other person I could fight with and nag.”

“Oh yes, siblings entail having lots of fights and nagging from the older ones.”

“You’ve never said much about your eldest sister. Did she nag you a lot?”

“Alleria?” There was not much she _could_ say about her. “She still does. And yet we are probably the most similar. She, like me, went down a path that perhaps our parents didn’t want for us. Our family has seen enough wars, but I fear we haven’t seen the last of them. Too many of us have gone into the military.”

“Well, considering there is even a holiday in honor of all who served from your kin — Windrunner Valor Day — I would think they would be proud of those who made the choice to serve like their ancestors.”

“There is certainly pride in our family for those accomplishments, but you know we aren’t just known as veterans of war. We are extremely wealthy; the founding members didn’t amass such fortunes by throwing their lives away in war, as they call it. You can say my family is divided in this sense. The business side, the ones with their claws in all sorts of lucrative ventures, demand we _all_ pull our weight to maintain our wealth intact. Alleria was supposed to take over our father’s company, so she married someone who would do that for her and brought us a merger with that matrimony.”

“An arranged marriage?” Anduin grimaced. “Is she happy, at least?”

“Alleria makes the best of any situation. This wasn’t any different. And she set the rules, too. She made it a condition of marriage that her husband, Turalyon, would have to use our name… and other stipulations. Can you imagine the uproar in his patriarchal family?”

“You seem utterly amused by this.”

She tittered. “Let me have my joys, Anduin.”

“I take it your eldest sister, _unlike_ you, remains in the military? It sounds like she is a very impressive woman.”

There were many words Sylvanas could use to describe Alleria, and while impressive was one, it was not the first that came to mind given all that had happened between them. It was also untrue that Sylvanas wasn’t tied to the military; she could never leave it, not after what happened, but Anduin didn’t need to know that.

“Impressive and bossy…”

He smirked. “So, kind of like you?”

“Maybe I won’t come by later as planned, Little Lion.”

The nickname had come from those childish lion cub plush slippers he owned — a gift from some friend of his named Wrathion, as a joke she still didn’t get.

Anduin smiled. “Don’t give me such a cruel punishment. Not when I’m willing to take your name if you’d have me.”

She gasped. “What will _your_ family say?”

“Who cares what they say?”

“I think you would, regardless of what you’d want me to believe.”

His disarming seriousness returned. There was such certainty, such a resolve to prove they could be more, that they could have some semblance of happiness together in a permanent union that their families couldn’t destroy.

_As if that were all that opposed us._

“When it comes to us all that matters is what we feel. If we are happy with the way things are, what anyone else thinks or says shouldn’t matter.”

_The world isn’t so simple, Little Lion._

“How rebellious, Mr. Windrunner.” She stroked his perfect jaw. “Does that mean that I am the one who is to propose with an enormous diamond ring?”

He looked utterly appalled. “Did your sisters propose to their spouses that way?”

She shook her head. “Vereesa fell in love with her husband and it was the sappiest love story you could imagine. _He_ proposed. Rhonin made us all accomplice of his grand scheme. It was even filmed. The two watch the video of that day on _every_ anniversary. And now they force theirs kids to watch it too.”

“That’s cute. I can see you eye rolling in the background as it all unfolded.”

“You would find it cute!” She scoffed. “As for Alleria, as I mentioned, it was out of convenience, so she simply scheduled an appointment with Turalyon and told him they should marry, with a presentation of how beneficial it would be for our families, and somehow — despite her approach — he accepted. I suppose her beauty won him over in the end. She arranged the wedding in three months and merely told him when to present himself for the ceremony. The reception was so beautiful for a union as fake as the false lashes she put on for the occasion. She really tried to look the part of happy bride, but it only made the affair all the more awkward. There wasn’t a single comfortable witness to that union. Needless to say, both weddings and proposals were iconic. I could never hope to top them!”

“I can’t imagine marrying under such a circumstance.”

“Alleria is practical. You think I’m bad? You have yet to meet true coldness.”

“I don’t think you’re cold,” he corrected. “You are stubborn and prone to pessimism, but the latter is consequence of all you have endured.”

“You think you know _so much._ ”

“Never enough,” he grinned. “Does she like him?”

“Turalyon? Yes, she does. I would say she’s even come to love him. They have a son… around your age. He’s made her a better person, I suppose. Now that I think of it, he’s a lot like you in the sense he has this contagious sort of kindness.”

“His name rings a bell.”

“It might. He’s a devout of your faith,” she said. “What about _you_ , Anduin?”

“What about me?”

“Your family. Enlighten me.”

“I didn’t think you’d want to know, considering…”

“It’s only fair since I’ve told you about mine.”

“My family is simple. I was also born into privilege. I am known to be a member of a prominent religious family, but what a lot of people seem to have forgotten is that my father wasn’t always a believer. In fact, in his youth, he was a rebel — a gang leader.”

That had her brows up in shock. “You don’t say?”

“Yes, he was known as _Ghost Wolf_ in the streets. Was always caught up in some fight. Grandfather nearly disowned him for all of his wild antics. You see, my father suffered from uncontrollable cholera and it made it difficult for anyone to understand why he was always so angry with everyone, with the world itself, it seemed. Then, he met my mother. She brought him to the Light. It healed his torment and allowed him peace. They married, and were happy, but she passed away shortly after I was born. My father’s past caught up with him.”

She hadn’t known this. “Was she—?”

“Murdered?” Anduin nodded. “That nearly drove my father to those old habits, seeking vengeance, but the law handled it. Then, he also had me to care for. He says I was my mother’s greatest gift to him — a living part of her. He says I became his reason for staying in the Light. He chose to honor my mother’s death by continuing to serve the church. Sometimes I wonder if he’s truly happy or if he’s merely there to atone for her death. He blames himself, even now. He thinks she would be alive if they hadn’t met.”

“I suppose we are all plagued by our mistakes.” Sylvanas understood that pain well. “Was it hard to grow without your mother, Anduin?”

“I don’t remember anything about her, so I can’t say I missed her.”

“That’s not quite what I asked, is it?”

“I’m not with you because I have a mother complex,” he clarified. “I know sometimes you think that.”

“Perhaps in the beginning,” she admitted. “I’m most certain that’s not the case now.”

“I’ve never felt the absence. My father spoke a lot about her and I’ve been told I’m like her, so I suppose getting to know myself has brought me closer to understanding who she was.”

“Your father suffered a great loss if she was like you.”

“I’ve wanted to ask you this for a long time now. Why does there seem to be a personal animosity toward my father? Did you know him before?”

“I met him once,” she replied.

“You did? How?”

“It hardly matters, but the words stayed with me. He told me our research violated the laws of life and death. Perhaps now that you’ve shared about your mother I can understand where he was coming from. He wouldn’t want anything to stand in the way of the peace he believes is found after death.”

_And there is no such thing. I would know._

“I think he would like you, as a person.”

“There’s no need for him to like me, Anduin.”

“How many have you rejected before me, I wonder?”

“Is this the part where we talk about our past lovers?”

“I’m curious,” he confirmed. “And you know there was no one before you.”

“Not even a girlfriend to hold hands with, Little Lion?”

“You’re avoiding.”

“If you must know… you _aren’t_ the first to propose.”

And then, she realized, he might truly have been the first. The only one to do it willingly, out of genuine feelings and not convenience. The only one who had been brave enough to voice what he wanted even in the face of all the impossible obstacles.

“And what were your reasons to refuse them?”

“Ever curious, aren’t you?”

“You like my curiosity in many ways, don’t you?”

Sylvanas allowed him the ego and laughed. “I was suggested a marriage partner. There was not a single thing my family could threaten me with — not even leaving me penniless — that could sway me to accept the man they proposed to me.”

Anduin’s eyes were on her lips. “Something tells me he was either the scum of the Earth or you had your eyes set on someone else.”

“There was someone else.”

“Did you love _him_?”

She closed her eyes. “Very much.”

“First love?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

Sylvanas turned away, pulling all the blankets with her. “Obviously, it didn’t work out.”

He slithered under the covers to pull her against his body. She took a glance over her shoulder to find smoldering eyes on her.

“Is that jealousy, Anduin?”

“Perhaps.” His voice deepened with want. “Because I can see it still affects you.”

He wasn’t wrong, but she didn’t want to address that, especially not with him. Not here, where the burdens of her life dissolved with his tenderness.

“What a possessive reaction.” Sylvanas reached for his throbbing length. “My, my… ready for more?”

“Does he still matter to you?”

She squeezed him, pulling a gasp out of him. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”

“Can’t I be? Considering our relationship?”

Sylvanas got up and straddled him, sliding him between her moist folds. His body shuddered with delight. “This is what matters. Aren’t you always preaching I should live in the present? This is _now._ ”

He grabbed her by the nape of her neck and brought her to his lips. It was the first time she tasted anger in his kiss. She smiled against his mouth. “You should show me this side of you more often, Little Lion.”

“Should I?” Anduin flipped her under him, eyes engulfed by lust. “Will you let me?”

It would have been a simple question — his gentleman side seeking consent to have his way, but there was more to it. She saw it then, in those honest blues; he _knew_ what it meant for her to surrender control, to give herself up and let another set the pace. She had never told him why and he had never asked, but somehow he had known she _needed_ it and accepted. Anduin had understood it was not just a matter of preference, of her wanting to dominate for the hell of it; he saw it was deeper rooted. All this time he had held himself back for her sake, so that she could feel safe, so that she could  be in command in a space so intimate, when so many other aspects of her life — equally personal — were beyond her control. How this man, so young and naive, had such intuition, such compassion was beyond her understanding. Even though he was overcome with want, his body pulsing with desire, he waited. Sylvanas reached up to touch his face and he leaned into it, kissing her wrist with pure affection.

_What are you doing to me?_

He loved her. It was simple. He had told her. She had believed him. She was still in control even if she let herself go because he had given the most precious part of himself already. And she could destroy it whenever and if she wanted. It had been so long, she had forgotten what it was like to let go — to not feel doubt or fear. Sylvanas splayed herself for him, adoring the fire the sight of her ignited in him. His hand tentatively ran down her body and she closed her eyes, permitting herself to only _feel_. She had been so broken by life that she couldn’t have imagined ever finding pleasure in this place. But he was worshipping her, elevating her, and taking her to a place she thought she could no longer reach. Even if the morning came and brought her back to the cruel reality, nothing could change what he made her feel at that moment.

“Take me,” she breathed. “And take _everything_ with you, Anduin.”

* * *

 

Materialistically, there was nothing that Sylvanas’ home lacked. It was beautifully furnished to her explicit taste and arranged _harmoniously_ — whatever that meant — thanks to her sister’s interior design expertise. Though Vereesa had put her career on hold to become a full time mother — and part time blogger — she still visited Sylvanas’ house to add more things that would make it _cozy._ The attempts were valiant, but it never worked. Her three-story, twelve thousand square foot penthouse was meant to be a fortress and a prison, not a _home._ The skyscraper had been built with the most technologically advanced security system in the world, designed by Lor’themar Theron — that genius, yet insufferable idiot that she nonetheless trusted. Not even a god could break into her home; she had needed that kind of certainty when she had come back from hell. Living there wasn’t as lonesome, though. The home was a companion; it was _alive._ The AI — which she had named Forsaken, to spite it — was more spirited than many living beings in her life were. Lor’themar had designed it that way so she wouldn’t feel the crippling loneliness that would have otherwise haunted her in such a needlessly large home for a single woman and her moody cat and—

> **_Please tell me you were out having fun._ **

“Please tell _me_ you did your job and dispensed the correct amount of food and water for Lady.”

> **_I didn’t have to. Your dog did._ **

“Lor’themar, you asshole. This update is atrocious.”

“Not as atrocious as you coming back at this hour.”

The man who leaned against the corridor, arms crossed and scowling, was the _dog_ Forsaken mentioned. His ginger beard was perfectly groomed, thick brows raised when she began to undress, as if he were nothing more than another fancy ornament in the luxurious home; as if he wouldn’t be bothered by her naked glory.

“Shouldn't you come _after,_ not before me, Nathanos?”

That question stirred another thought in her bodyguard. She could tell by the way his eyes darkened. Though he was staring at her eyes, his will ironbound to not take in the sight of her in lace underwear that left little to the imagination, she knew he was bothered by her actions.  

His voice was hoarse. “I’ll get your robe.”

She held his elbow. “Don’t bother.”

He didn’t turn to look at her. “Do you understand what you’re doing?”

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen or touched before. And in any case, I thought you didn’t care.”

“I’m talking about the _boy_ ,” he growled. “Do you know what the hell you're doing playing around with that boy? Do you have _any_ idea what it could mean for us?”

The _us_ wasn’t **them** — it had long ceased to be about them. She resented him so much for it; for making her feel so slighted even after so many years. The _us_ was the organization that bound them both together in ways she had never wanted. They were never supposed to end in such a miserable fate.

> **_Dogs shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds them._ **

“I swear, Theron will regret this dearly.”

Nathanos Marris had been a young, promising scholarship student at a university composed of the one percent — rich spoiled brats, he’d called them, and Sylvanas had been among them. It was that disdain and sass which lured her to him. How she had liked his rugged impoliteness and frankness. He did not care if she was rich, did not relent because of her beauty, and only when she had fallen madly in love with him did he show her how fiercely he loved her too. Their affair had been passionate and perfect; she would have married him, if he’d only proposed. He had not. In the end, the differences he had ignored took away his courage.

“I wasn’t told I couldn’t have sex with whoever I pleased,” she said. “Why should he matter to them?”

Nathanos turned. “Don’t tell me the boy has stolen your _intelligence_ as well?”

Her frown deepened. “Who do you think you are to speak to me that way? Have you forgotten your role?”

“I’m perfectly aware of mine,” he spat. “But you’ve surely forgotten yours.”

_When did it all go so wrong?_

Sylvanas had never suspected her life would turn so warped. Like Alleria, she had rebelled against the plans made for her. She had gone into chemistry — which had been Nathanos’ major — and later biology, and then, when the two of them broke up because he found out her parents wanted her to marry Arthas Menethil, she joined the military. Sylvanas thought that dying as a soldier was preferable to an arranged marriage with Arthas, the heir to a conglomerate, who was known to boast about the size of his family jewels rather than actually pleasing women with them. She wanted more for her life than being some tool in the grand scheme of the Windrunner empire. She had a horde of trophies and gold medals in various martial arts and archery tournaments. She was good at almost everything she picked up as a sport. She had thought such prowess would be enough to make her a very formidable soldier, but boot camp had proven she had been but a child playing war before. All the cadets went through the same grueling humiliation, but they had come out stronger, forged into true weapons by the end of it. She became an excellent sniper and was chosen to carry out very high-risk target eliminations; an assassin, but she had thought herself a hero — ridding the world of scum, one shot at a time.

Then, the war came, and as fate would have it, Nathanos became her partner for various tactical missions behind enemy lines. He had joined the military after her — _because of her_ — and swore to follow and cover her, as her combat partner, for the rest of his life. Neither had known what such a vow would truly entail until she had died. Dead for hours, the reports claimed. Dead as fate had deemed her torture should end as, but she had been torn from nothingness. She was brought back to life. It had been an experiment that should not have worked, but it had, and she was the first _of many._ She was forever changed. Her life no longer belonged to her; she was an asset for the organization.

And Nathanos was the man chosen to ensure she would never forget it — that she could _never_ run away. He was bound to her, for the rest of their lives.

“That boy is the son of—”

“I am perfectly aware of who I am riding, Nathanos.”

His eyes glowed with fury. “ _Sylvanas…_ ”

“Oh, I see. You want to remind me that if I need a quick fuck, you’ll oblige. I don’t remember _that_ being part of your role, but I suppose it could be part of your ever self-sacrificing spirit to serve in whatever capacity is needed for the best interest of the organization you signed away your life to.”

The lines of his face, hardened by many battles, grew deeper. “Is this what this is about? Hung up on a past we can ever return to no matter how much I would want to?”

“How much you would want—” she gasped, livid. “Don’t you dare say that! You— you _didn’t_ want that life!”

Nathanos took hold of her and pulled her close. His anguish colored his voice so deep that it cut right through her. “You are all I have ever wanted, Sylvanas. I did _everything_ for your sake.”

“For my sake? Leaving me when you heard the rumor of some arranged marriage I would have _never_ agreed to because you didn’t have the _balls_ to face the consequences of fighting for what we had—”

“You have no idea what happened at that time.”

“Then tell me, Nathanos! Tell me what happened.”

“I won’t. It matters very little now, Sylvanas.”

"It matters to me."

He said nothing. She felt her entire body shudder with fury. Her fists pounded against his chest, pushing him away from her, slamming him against the wall. “I despise you! You remind me of everything I ever wanted, of all I have lost. You… how _dare_ you even say you want me now?”

“I deserve your hatred, but don’t throw the life you were given to spite me.”

“The _life_ I was given?” She was incredulous. “What life? This is a _farce_! This is—”

“We are so close to the _remedy_ , Sylvanas. You have been championing this for so many years — for yourself and for the others — but you’re willing to lose it all for a fly?”

“He makes me feel alive.”

His thumb ran over her lower lip. “I can do the same. Sex can make even the dead feel like they’re living again.”

Sylvanas slapped him.

Nathanos touched the edge of his lips, fingers stained with blood. “If it were any other man, it wouldn’t be an issue. You have had others. I have not opposed. This isn’t jealousy, it’s common sense. He is the son of Varian Wrynn. Do you know what would happen if that blasted church knew about your _condition?_ It’s only a matter of time before he realizes how different you are.”

“I am taking the medication.”

Nathanos took her wrist and held it up to her. The color had already begun to ashen. She had missed her morning dosage because she had not been home. She wasn’t allowed to carry the medication due to the risk of being discovered; it was Nathanos’ task to administer it and carry it and protect it with his very life. He pulled out the syringe from the case he carried with him and applied the dose with practiced precision into her vein. It stung like hell, it was like being injected with fire, but she didn’t make a sound. She had been done much worse.

“Are you certain he didn’t see this?”

“I had long sleeves, as you saw.”

“I doubt you had that on for long.”

“He _doesn’t_ know. He would have shown concern if he had and he didn’t. You know it only starts about five—”

“You know what would happen if he saw this, right, Sylvanas? I am here not just to safeguard you.” He looked at her. “I am here to eliminate anyone who chances upon the truth. I will not hesitate to take him out. You know I won’t miss the shot.”

“Don’t you dare touch him.”

“Don’t give me reasons to,” he hissed. “End this senseless affair before the boy gets hurt.”

“Have you told Alleria?”

“Of course not. If she were aware she would have relocated you immediately. The Director does not take chances and she does not believe in goodness the way you seem to have begun believing in again.”

“You have no right to judge me. After all, you agreed to become the jailor of a woman you allegedly loved.”

Nathanos grabbed her blouse from the floor and placed it around her shoulders. “If it eases your mind to believe I never loved you, so be it.”

“This could have been our home.”

He snorted, indignant. “I would have never agreed to such an extravagant house nor would I have wanted to live in this polluted city.”

> **_The feeling is mutual, Guard Dog._ **

She chuckled bitterly. “Will you really not tell me why you ended our relationship back then?”

“You deserved better. Then, and now.”

“That was always your problem, wasn’t it Nathanos?”

Except it wasn't. There was more to it. He was keeping secrets from her since then.

His lips pressed into a hard line. “The Director won’t stay ignorant of your affair for long. I can only cover you so far, Sylvanas. If that boy has truly meant something to you, if he has done you any good, then do him a favor and end it. He is as good as dead if he found out the truth and even if by some miraculous mercy, the Director opted not to have me take him out — on account of how messy it would be to cover the death of a preacher’s son — he wouldn’t survive _this_ world. I tell you this as your friend, not as a scorned ex… or your _jailor.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can never do simple things. Does it show? This one is "more plot than intended." I'm not even sorry. These fantasy names in a modern AU crack me up. I'm having so much fun. Don't worry, BtD is getting worked on... always. 
> 
> As a side note: I do ship Sylvanas and Nathanos, so this is not intended to shred apart what I consider a canon pairing (some people still fight this.) As always, I'll come back and fix it up later. Thanks for reading! :) Shoutout to my fam — Bun, Ryuu, and Jojo for all the crazy times; the inside jokes are all for you. Eventually, Kaede will join us or so we are _ahem_ encouraging her to do.


	3. Fading

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter deals with themes of addiction and mental health; reader discretion is advised.

Anduin was called _Mr. Sunshine_ in his borough for his friendly disposition, but there was a spring in his step that morning, as he practically skipped to the bus stop. He greeted every stranger with a smile he couldn’t wipe away. They probably thought he was high, and maybe he was, but by something very different than they imagined. How could he feel anything but elation? Sylvanas returned his feelings. She did not say the words, but he had felt it in her surrender, in the way she clung to him while he made love to her. His body still tingled from the transcendental orgasm they had shared. Her lingering kiss before they parted showed him she didn’t want to leave him. As selfish as it was, he hoped one day she wouldn’t be able to. Sylvanas had feared for this reaction; that he would hope, but how could he not when their connection had become spiritual? He felt so alive that it was like walking out into the world for the very first time; he saw colors more vividly, heard sounds more clearly. The air couldn’t have been crisp in the city, but to him it was just as fresh as the sea breeze of his hometown.

_I feel invincible._

“Can’t stop smiling can you?”

Anduin blinked at the wrinkled woman before him. Immediately, he got up and yielded his seat to her on the bus. She gratefully took it. Looking up at him, her eyes crinkled with amusement.

“Sixty-three years ago my husband proposed to me with that same sparkle in his gaze,” she said, her voice frail. “It seems you found your soulmate.”

Anduin’s smile grew impossibly wider. “Yes… I think I have.”

It pleased him to know that strangers could perceive his feelings for that meant that he’d properly conveyed his sincerity to the one person who mattered. The old woman twirled her simple golden band around her finger and grinned, the lines on her face deepening.

“Treasure it. Many young people think soulmates are an outdated, silly thing. They change lovers as often as their underwear and don’t value the rarity of that first kindle. True love, the sort of flame that burns steady and withstands the howling wind, is a rare blaze.”

“What if I’m not her first kindle?” Anduin wondered. “She is older than I am.”

“There must be a reason why her first flame snuffed out. Take heart, lad. You might be her true love and that’s what matters.”

Anduin had known he wasn’t Sylvanas’ first in any capacity. That hadn’t bothered him because he respected she had a past and knew it was silly to resent what didn’t concern his time with her. Yet he had seen the shadow of pain in her eyes relating to that first love. He liked to unravel things and Sylvanas’ past intrigued him more than ever. Though she was a public figure as a celebrated veteran of the Fifth World War and the youngest head of research at Farstriders Pharmaceuticals, the public only knew generic facts about her. The anecdotes of her past were not something he wished to read from old articles in cyberspace; he wanted to hear those stories from her. And Anduin wanted to know more about the man who had made her want all the things she denied herself in the present. He was curious about who he was, what he was like, and why they hadn’t worked out. Most of all, he wanted to know why she was still bitter about it. 

Anduin knew their relationship could end anytime. He was the one who kissed her first, following the unspeakable impulse to taste the lips that cursed him, but she was the one who dictated the conditions of their relationship. She made it explicitly clear that all she wanted was sex and he had accepted her demands of secrecy because he hadn't wanted to be caught in a public scandal. He had understood the need for discretion and was thankful for it. He had been in desperate need to explore his suppressed sexuality with a woman who didn’t make him feel like a lesser man for lacking experience in the face of her expertise. He had thought sex was all that could possibly exist between two people with such polarizing views, but he hadn’t counted that his heart would betray him; he had been smitten by her beauty, aroused by her intelligence and banter. Somewhere along the way, when they enjoyed more than their bodies — when they lingered and talked about all sorts of things — he had fallen in love with her. She had known it. She was exceptionally keen and he’d been like an open book. She told him she would leave if he spoke of his feelings. Only someone whose own heart was compromised would make such a threat. If she hadn’t cared about him, then his feelings wouldn’t have mattered to her.

If his father had loved his mother as passionately as he did Sylvanas, Anduin felt broken for him. For the first time he realized just how monumental the loss must have been. To live without Sylvanas would hurt unbearably, but if she was happy somewhere, he would learn to live with the ache. To imagine a world, however, where she was no longer alive was simply torture. His father had been so strong to withstand such grief. Once off the bus, Anduin walked the remaining distance to the Mercy Clinic where he volunteered as an intake specialist. He fished his mobile from his pocket and dialed his father. Varian picked up on the second ring, like always.

_“Anduin? Just a moment — let me pull off to the side of the road. I haven’t figured how to sync my phone to the car audio. Your father is getting clumsy with technology.”_

“It’s alright. I just… I wanted to hear your voice.”

There was shuffling on the other end, then a pause. The phone was set aside and picked up. The voice came back strained with concern. “ _Is everything alright, Anduin?”_

“Everything is great.” That was still true. “It’s just that I thought of you and wondered how you were doing.”

_“Your father is fine! You aren’t feeling guilty for being happy, are you? Remember what Dr. Durotan said: let the happiness flow through you like water flowing through the river.”_

“Can you sense that I’m happy?”

_“I can hear you smiling."_

Anduin bit the inside of his cheek. “Are _you_ happy? Are you letting it flow through you, too?”

_“What’s all this about, son?”_

Anduin needed to be honest, even if he couldn’t reveal everything. “I didn’t understand until recently how difficult mother’s passing must have really been for you as a man. As the man who _loved_ her.”

_“Is this your way of telling me you’ve found a girlfriend?”_

He chuckled. If his father was being humorously evasive, then it meant he didn’t resent him.

_“Reverend Velen has kept it a secret from me, but I’m your father and I suspected it was the case. When I met your mother your grandparents hardly saw my face. Us Wrynn men tend to fall very hard and give ourselves entirely to that person.”_

“I’m sorry. I haven’t been home in over a year.”

_“Missing our Winter Veil tradition, too! All the cookies you didn’t enjoy.”_

“You couldn’t have them delivered to me?”

_“You snooze, you lose, son. Missing out on Jaina’s infamous Mana Cookies — where in the Light did she get the idea for such a name?”_

“Jaina, too. She should have sent us some. She only sent her mother a card... and you _didn't_.”

His father grumbled. _“Is she doing well?”_

“If you’re that worried, why don’t you call her?”

_“I can’t. It would be unfair to her… to both of us.”_

Katherine Proudmoore was the woman in question. A widow, like his father, she had lost her husband Daelin at war while he served in the Navy. His uncle by affection, if not blood, Genn Greymane had brought Katherine to church in hopes of playing matchmaker between her and his father despite their age gap. He believed a woman as intelligent and striking as her was just what his father needed to rebuild his life. She was one of the very best psychiatrists in the country and he thought that would be useful since he knew of Varian's struggles. Genn’s efforts, however, only yielded a strong friendship between them. It had been that way for many, many years, until two Winter Veils past. Tradition dictated they spent the winter break with the Greymane's at their estate. They all thought Cupid’s arrow had finally worked; Katherine and his father had _flirted_ , in all their awkward glory from years of solitude. Genn planned the wedding in his head, but by the end of the holiday, the two had parted and not spoken to each other — not like they used to.

_“Why didn’t you tell me you were working at her non-profit?”_

“You must have known I wouldn’t be able to stay home studying all the time when there is so much need in the world, father. Katherine spoke about the Mercy Clinic during our last holiday together. I couldn’t be in the same city and not offer some of my time to help.”

_“I see…”_

“You know, she still has a picture of us on her desk. Sometimes she looks at it forlornly.”

Varian sighed. _“I can’t love her the way I loved your mother. It’s best we set proper distance until these passing feelings move away.”_

“Passing feelings?”

Anduin was certain their feelings were anything but passive.

“Why do you need to love her like you did my mother? She isn’t her. And you’re not Daelin. Can’t you love her the way you do and still be happy? Isn’t what you feel enough to build the rest of your life on? I don’t understand why you can’t just—” Anduin stopped himself. Too much of his personal frustration seeped through. He ran a hand through his hair and tied it up in a ponytail with the band he always kept around his wrist. “I’m sorry. I just… I think you’re wasting time and it irks me that what’s stopping you is some misplaced belief that you must love her as you once did my mother in order for it to be worth having or be fair to her.”

_“Getting lectured by my own son on matters of love.”_

“You could be so happy with Katherine.”

_“Instead of shaming my choice, why don’t you tell me about this girl who has taken your heart? Where did you meet? School? Church? The clinic? Isn’t it time you brought her home so we can be properly introduced?”_

“You sound like Master Snowdrift.”

Anduin couldn’t tell him that his _girlfriend_ was not the college aged female he thought. He couldn’t even bring himself to admit that he had not gone to church while being with her. How could he face someone of Reverend Velen’s stature and look him in the eyes when he was breaking so many rules? He dared not face _anyone_ in the sanctuary, the holiest place of the Light, when he couldn’t muster repentance. He didn’t feel it was wrong to be with Sylvanas, to love her, to pleasure her. He had been waging a war within himself for that last tumultuous year. His faith hadn’t been shaken, but he no longer felt he could live the same life he had planned; one that entailed absolute adherence to rules he no longer believed were needed to serve the Light sincerely. If his father knew Sylvanas Windrunner was the woman in his heart, he would blame her for his change. He would say she corrupted him.

“I don’t think it’s the right time to bring her home.”

Anduin refused to add that there might _never_ be a time. Sylvanas would oppose involvement with his family. She had made it clear she had no time for religious games.

_“One year and it’s not the right time? A girl who has made my son sound like the bells of church and he doesn’t want me to meet her?”_

“It’s not that I don’t want to meet. It’s that—” He was nailing his own coffin, he knew. “I think I’m getting ahead of myself in my hopes for a future with her. She goes at a slower pace.”

_“I understand you want to give her time, but she should want to meet me if— wait, is she from another religion? Is that why you’re hesitating?”_

Anduin held his breath. “Yes.”

_“Did you think I would oppose her on account of this?”_

“Wouldn’t you?”

_“I have never controlled your relationships.”_

That was true. His father trusted his judgment. When he had brought Wrathion home, Anduin ten and the other boy seven, Varian hadn’t rejected him on account of his lack of religious beliefs. Wrathion Black, if anything, thought humans were the gods of the world, capable of creation and destruction, writers of their own destiny. Varian had respected Wrathion’s right to a different opinion and trusted Anduin’s firm faith was enough to not be swayed. He knew the same could happen with Sylvanas if they gave each other the time without prejudice. She wanted good for the world as much as they did, she just went about it differently. While they prayed and allowed the Light to use them as instruments of miracles, Sylvanas made them happen with science. Her approach was different, but their goals were the same. Certainly, in time, they could come to respect each other, if they tried.

_“Just remember I’m not intolerant. I didn’t always believe. If your maternal grandfather would have rejected me on account of my lack of faith back then, I would have not been privileged enough to marry your mother. Everyone can change.”_

Anduin winced. That was not what he wanted to hear. He didn’t want to **change** Sylvanas. “Is that what you have hoped for Wrathion, too? That he might change in time?”

_“That’s different, Anduin. Friends are a part of our lives, but a spouse is the person you share and create life with. You cannot build a house when half of the foundation is drastically different. It will not work.”_

This wasn’t how he wanted the conversation to go. Anduin didn’t want to debate over the phone. There was so much he had to say to his father; he had learned many fascinating things by living on his own and being around different people. The stories shared with him, the lives that he’d touched and been touched by, all of it had shaped his ever evolving viewpoint. The Light was beautiful and warm, but used incorrectly it could blind those not ready or willing to face it.

“She made her choice and I respect it.”

_“Then, she shouldn’t fear an old preacher.”_

“She doesn’t fear you, but she also doesn’t want to be slapped with the Book of Discipline. Let me do things my way for a little longer. That’s all I ask.”

_“Newcomers are initiated with the Book of Lightforged Truths. Are you slacking in your studies?”_

It was said in humor, but he felt it in his bones. It brought to mind another topic; switching majors. Volunteering at the Mercy Clinic had given him a new perspective on more practicals ways he could change the world for the better and reach more people. The work done by the psychiatrists, nurses, and counselors was so magnificent and inspiring that he wanted to change his major to psychology, perhaps even go into med school to major in psychiatry, like Katherine. Serving in that capacity felt right. He could be a vessel for the Light’s power as he treated others through more conventional means.

“Father, I know you have great expectations for me, but I—” He took a deep breath and charged forward. “I think I have found my true calling elsewhere.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Anduin had never spoken of another path. He had always thought he’d become a preacher and travel the world teaching about the Light to those who would listen. It had been his choice, not an imposed expectation, although in hindsight, Anduin probably thought his choices were limited to serving the church.

“Say something…”

Very rarely did Varian lose his ability to speak, so it proved how much the confession had shaken him. _“Is this because of the girl you’re seeing?”_

“Of course not.”

_“Are you certain? You’re not choosing a path that is more acceptable to someone without our faith, so that she doesn’t have to see herself as the wife of a preacher someday?”_

“Father, no. How could you think I would do that? And she respects me. She respects my religious beliefs.”

_“Perhaps I should call Katherine after all to see what she has been feeding my son.”_

“Don’t. Not if you’re going to speak to her in that accusatory tone. Father, when have I ever been swept by anyone? I have always done what I felt was right because I believe the Light is guiding my path. Working at the clinic has made me realize there are ways I can serve and still help people, perhaps even more people that I might otherwise never reach by preaching something not all are willing to hear, much less accept. You came to peace after finding the Light, but not all do, and to deny people respite when there are other alternatives—”

 _“Other alternatives? I don’t discredit the good medicine does for certain things and surely Dr. Durotan has helped me manage my anger issues, but_ **_they_ ** _refuse the notion that the Light is more effective than drugs.”_

“The Light only works if you believe in it.”

_“Which is why we must light the way for others to see it."_

"We can't force them."

 _"So now my own son, who has always been a fervent servant of the Light, is giving into the very political correctness that has stifled our church? You want to abandon the healing powers of the Light in favor of signing off your name on a script that will most likely make an addict of the person who has reached to_ **_you_ ** _for help? Do you not remember what you did for that village all those years ago? The miracle you asked us to keep a secret from the media is still yielding fruits today! How can you say you would prefer to abandon such power and destiny, one that would bring about a change in this world, unlike any we have seen since the Great Prophet, to pursue_ **_science_** _?”_

“Is this what you told Katherine about her life’s work? Did you reduce her entire career to merely contributing to the prescription drug crisis which has long existed before any of us were born?”

_“I can’t deny our views on this matter didn’t help. She is a psychiatrist. I know she has helped many, but the ill effects of those medications are greater and I can’t spend my life with someone who supports that.”_

“Perhaps you don’t deserve her after all.”

_“What did you say?”_

“The Light gives us discernment, father. It gives us the ability to create. We overcame the worst biochemical disaster we have known thanks to the scientist who—”

_“We had such a disaster happen in the first place thanks to those so called scientists! Who do you think created those biochemical weapons? The virus?"_

“Evil is found in every tree.”

 _“I_ _was there, Anduin. I saw what they did to those people. That was beyond evil. And the more power we give them, the more we are at their mercy. I saw what became of all those who died due to the virus. Monsters. They were monsters! Turned by science! Is this the alternative you want to pursue? The power you want to wield? How your mother must be tossing in her grave!”_

“Father…”

_“And then the people with power to surpass what science can do choose an easier path. Now I count my own son as one of those who made the coward’s choice.”_

Anduin was stunned by the heat with which his father spoke. He had not imagined he would take it so personal when he had always seemed willing to give him the freedom to choose his path.

_“I have obligations that won’t permit me to fly there until next weekend.”_

“Father. You don’t have to come by.”

_“Have you been going to church at all?”_

There was no point in lying. Reverend Velen would confirm his lack of attendance and it was better to be honest when so much had already come undone. “Not for some time.”

 _“And is_ **_that_ ** _because of her?”_

He couldn’t say it wasn’t, but a simple answer could not truly explain it either. “I had my reasons. If you would listen—”

_“I will be there Friday night to listen. I’ll send Shaw to pick you up. Do you still live at the same address or are there more surprises I should be made aware of before I see you?”_

“We can’t hang up like this, father. You’re upset. I don’t want you driving back in this state.”

 _“Don’t worry. I’ll have Shaw pick me up.”_ Varian exhaled a ragged breath. _“I can’t say I’m not deeply disappointed, Anduin. I am. So profoundly. Words cannot describe what I feel right now. I have failed your mother.”_

Anduin didn’t need for him to elaborate. Despite the distance, he could feel all the negative emotions which had taken hold of his father's mind. When the line went dead, without a word of goodbye, Anduin grieved. What had started as a seemingly bright day had turned so dark in an instant. He looked up at the cloudless sky and sighed.

“Are you planning to stand there until we close, Wrynn?”

Taelia Fordragon had an accent that deepened when she teased him. With one hand on her hip, the other holding a trash bag over her shoulder, she regarded him curiously. Instinctively, he reached for the bag, having been taught in the ways of a gentleman, and needing something to distract himself with. Taelia darted away and shook a finger at him. Moving to a city that was a melting pot of cultures and belief systems had taught him that some women found it offensive when men offered to help them with things they deemed themselves sufficiently capable of handling on their own. He adjusted to this reality, learned to ask before assuming, but sometimes the habit went before him and this was such a time. Taelia wasn’t against his help, but rather she was used to doing things on her own. Having been raised in a military family full of men and battle-hardened women meant that she had grown very tough. 

“I appreciate the thought,” she said, jutting her chin toward the clinic. “But you’re needed inside. Runas is causing a scene.”

Anduin’s heart sank. “He’s back?”

Taelia nodded sadly. “At least he kept his promise to you. That must count for something, no?”

That was all the urging he needed. Anduin passed through the doors of the three-story clinic, a diminutive building in a city full of majestic architectures that kissed the clouds. He was thankful for Taelia’s warning. He wouldn’t have been prepared to meet with the scene before him otherwise. Six nurses held Runas down on a stretcher, trying to strap him to it so that the Chief Nurse could inject him with a sedative. Anduin had never seen anyone, not even Runas at his worst, lash out so violently.

Anduin rushed to his side. “Runas! Hey!”

The man managed to recognize him in spite of whatever haze clouded his mind. His entire body relaxed and the nurses managed to buckle him down. Anduin hated that it had come to this and hoped he could still reason with the man so that he could walk himself into treatment.

“Andy! Andy, please,” he howled miserably. “They want to lock me away. They want to hurt me. I… I only came because you told me I could… that I _should_. I promised I would. I said I would come if the darkness encroached and it has! How it has! I was in a dark, dark pit. Ready to go. My mind. Mush. All mush. I didn’t take a hit. I swear. I was good. I was. Then it came. Voices. Whispers. Visions. Things horrible. Blood. Carnage.”

“Can you tell me what happened before coming here?”

“Anduin.” The Chief Nurse stepped forward. “You’re not trained or cleared to handle this crisis. Please step away from the patient.”

“Get away from me, you devil!” Runas gnashed. “You won’t take me to hell with you! Fiend!”

“Runas, just look at me,” Anduin commanded gently. “No one is taking you anywhere. We will only move you to a room. Do you remember what I told you about the process of recovery?”

“I don’t want her there,” he spat in her direction. “Go away! Devil! Bad! Bad woman!”

Anduin positioned himself so that Runas wouldn’t see her. He calmed almost instantly. “Andy. I love you, Andy. You’re my… my guardian angel. Yeah. Not them, no. Only you.”

“I’m no angel, but I told you we would help you. Are you prepared for the process?”

The man’s face — hallowed by how thin he was — went from a scowl to a fearful smile. In the depths of his dark eyes there was a tiny glimmer of hope. Anduin could perceive it. This was a man who had lost respect from everyone, whose choices had driven away even his loved ones; he felt unworthy of any salvation. He was _ashamed_ of himself, of what he had become, and all he had done. Anduin wanted nothing more than to lift those lies that chained and oppressed him and show him how worthy he was of happiness. Anduin prayed to the Light for guidance, and mercy for the soul before him.

“I… I think I’m being punished,” Runas wept. “It must be. The Light must hate me. I don’t blame it! I'm bad. So bad. It’s all so hazy. I feel so lost. My mind… it’s burning away. I can’t… I’m forgetting things. All I know is I don’t trust _them_!” He shot a venomous look at the Chief Nurse over Anduin’s shoulder. “The others. Them. Her. That evil doctor. She has them hold me down. Injects painful things into me. I hate her. I hate her so much.”

“It’ll be fine, Runas. Remember we got you a new doctor? The one you liked.”

Runas smiled through his tears. “The big guy with the gentle radioman voice?”

“That’s right. Dr. Durotan. Now, tell me. Will you cooperate? If I tell them to release you, can you walk with me to the back?”

“They won’t release me, Andy. They don’t want me to say the—” His eyes darted around, his face contorting with fright. He hissed, then whimpered. “The voices. The voices. Make them stop. Why… why are they telling me to do such horrible things?” Runas’ eyes rolled to the back of his head and even his voice changed to a growl. “ _Bite the nurse. Bite, bite, bite.”_

“I will sedate him now,” said the Chief Nurse.

Anduin watched helplessly as they injected Runas. They wheeled him away. The Chief Nurse took hold of Anduin’s arm and pulled him off to the side. Meredith Waycrest looked at him above her nose. They had clashed multiple times, but this time she was livid.

“I remind you that you’re a volunteer here, Anduin. I know your family is a personal friend of Dr. Proudmoore, but you have crossed a line with this patient that should not be crossed and I will have no choice but to report this.”

“I have never acted out of line or turn, Chief Nurse. All I was asking was for some compassion.”

“Look at the other patients! They’re terrified. How many might cease to come here for treatment on account of this spectacle? They probably felt unsafe yet you wanted me to let him _walk_ back there?” Meredith looked him over. “You were hired to handle the _paperwork_ and trained only to calm patients who come to the help desk aggravated. You aren’t a nurse or doctor and you overstepped your boundaries when you gave him counseling.”

“I didn’t counsel him,” he corrected. “Though I do have clearance for the bare minimal I provided last time. Dr. Proudmoore personally trained me to handle calls for the crisis hotline, so I employed those methods on a patient who came here begging to be heard. The protocol dictated I should secure the patient and call for help, and I did. I paged Dr. Ashvane, but she took _three hours_ to get here. He wanted to talk to me. He needed it. My approach was no different than what I was trained to do over the phone, the only difference is it happened to be face to face. We don’t hang up unless they do, right?”

“Don’t try to lecture me. I know the process. I still say you have crossed the line. I saw you’re now listed as his emergency contact!”

“He chose to name me as such. He has nobody else that he trusts.”

“I must inform Dr. Ashvane of this.”

“She isn’t his doctor anymore,” Anduin reminded her. “He’s chosen Dr. Durotan.”

“She is the one assigned to him from the start.”

“With all due respect, Chief Nurse," said Taelia, joining the conversation. "If we are going to run around reporting broken protocols, I’ll have to deliver a report about you. I’ve now witnessed you force Dr. Ashvane on a patient four times. Runas made chose Dr. Durotan in a moment of sobriety and full cognitive capacity. Despite this, you continue to push for another doctor he has explicitly expressed a desire not to be treated by. That is a direct violation of the law. So, you can choose to admit you were wrong and call Dr. Durotan or continue riding your mighty high horse and get reported to the board by a lowly volunteer like _me_. The choice is yours, really.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Were you threatening Anduin?”

Meredith was ready to implode. “I will call his doctor.”

They lingered in the lobby to be sure that the Chief Nurse called Dr. Durotan and not anyone else. They went about their work and tried reassuring the other patients that they were safe. Some left, others stayed — even sympathized with Runas. By the end of his shift, Anduin made it to the room where his friend was staying in. He was still sleeping. Taelia joined him sometime after she clocked out. The two stood in silence, watching the monitors, absorbed in their own thoughts.

Taelia was first to break the silence. “Toxicology has taken too long to come out, no?”

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

Anduin rubbed his chin. “About his reaction to the Chief Nurse.”

“Only that? What about his general actions? There was something—”

“Different.”

Taelia snapped her fingers. “Definitely.”

“The way he spoke about Dr. Ashvane troubles me.”

“Can’t say I blame him. It’s no secret that Dr. Ashvane isn’t here for the noblest of reasons," said Taelia. "She loves pretending to be nice to look good for society. She knows we can’t touch her because she’s a shareholder of the Kul Tiras Hospitals. Even Dr. Proudmore isn't able to do anything about her involvement.”

“I once met Dr. Ashvane at a charity event,” said Anduin. “She said low income people were better off used as lab rats.  They would cost less money to tax payers. Needless to say, my impression of her isn't good.”

“She’s got her tentacles in lots of pharmaceutical investments, too.”

_Maybe Sylvanas has dealt with her._

“She’s the one who brings new medications into the Kul Tiras Hospitals, as well as here. She’s also the one who prescribes the most drugs from all volunteering doctors. You can see it in her patients. They're all doped up. Muted.”

Anduin sighed. “This is part of the reason why I wanted to switch majors — to fight people like her and actually have a shot of making a difference for the sake of the well being of the patients.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure your family would accept the switch, honestly.”

Anduin didn’t want to talk about _that_ , but one thing became certain. “If I lose their support, then I forge ahead without them. You’re doing it and surviving.”

She cracked a smile. “Barely, but sure. Hey, if you ever need a roommate, mine are always ditching me to coop up with their lover of the week. I could use a steady person.”

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll let you know if they disown me.”

Anduin felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw Sylvanas’ message on the screen preview.

_I’m stuck at work. I won’t make it tonight. Or tomorrow._

He frowned. This wasn’t the first time she had cancelled their plans, but the timing was off. Taelia put a hand on his shoulder. “Is something wrong? Did the Chief Nurse report you? _Oooh,_ that witch. If she did, I swear I’ll report her for what I said I would!”

“No, it’s my…” He flushed. “It’s my girlfriend.”

She scooted away, hands held up. “Sorry. Sorry. I forgot you had one since I never see her around. I didn’t peek at the text and I barely touched you! I’ve heard some women sniff their men’s clothes to see if they’re cheating on them and if she catches a whiff of my perfume...”

“She’s not like that,” he assured her. “And you don’t wear perfume.”

“I can’t because of work,” she clarified. “Outside of here, I do. I mean, I like _some_ girly things in spite of what you may think of me.”

“I don’t think you lack femininity, if that’s your impression of my perception.”

“You don’t?” She sounded surprised. “Really? Most men say I’m a tomboy.”

“Most men are stupid.”

“You do realize you’re a man, right?”

“That’s why I said _most_ ,” he smiled.

“Wow! When did you develop an ego, Wrynn?”

“It makes an appearance every now and then.”

Anduin looked at the message and tried to find the right words to respond with. Sylvanas had set their movie date to ten o’clock which would allow him more than enough time to make it. He couldn’t stay with Runas overnight, even if he wanted to, as it was not allowed.

“You’re typing and deleting like crazy!” Taelia wiped the imaginary dust from the window sill, stealing glances at him. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Maybe. Or not. I may be overthinking, as usual.”

“I don’t mean to intrude, Anduin. Don’t think me nosy. It’s just that you and I have talked about so many things, but you haven’t said a word about your girlfriend. You slipped up one time and made me swear on whatever divinity I believed in that I wouldn’t tell anyone. As if I had anyone to gossip to anyways!”

“Well, there is the other party to consider. She’s a very private person and it feels wrong to talk about her when she wouldn’t like it.”

“I guess I can kinda understand that,” she said.

“Taelia. If something happened with you and your boyfriend—”

“I’m single.”

“Then hypothetically speaking,” he said. “If your relationship solidified and became really serious, in spite of you not quite wanting it to be serious, would you run away from him?”

“Oooh, dating a commitment-phobe, are you?”

“She’s not— no. It’s not like that precisely.”

“Sounds to me it’s precisely like that. _”_  She lifted a finger at him. “Before you tell me to mind my business, let me say this: no relationship worth having should be had in secret. I don’t know why you nearly had me sign a contract of confidentiality when I don’t even know your girlfriend’s name, but it’s not right to live that way.”

“Can I bum a ride from you after this?”

“You didn’t listen to a word I just said, did you?”

Before Anduin could respond, the door to the room opened and Dr. Durotan came in. His expression was grim. He shut the door behind him and pinched the bridge of his wide nose. “What are you kids doing in here? Have you no respect for visitation hours? You think you can do whatever you want because you volunteer here?”

Anduin pushed himself away from the wall. “We were waiting for the results.”

Thrall Durotan had been his father’s psychiatrist since his mother’s passing. There was enough familiarity between them that Anduin could discern there was something very wrong with Runas, just as he’d suspected given his deteriorating state.

“Yes, I saw you got close enough to this poor man to be named a sort of guardian.”

“Which means you can tell me what’s going on without fear of breaking the law.”

“I will leave,” said Taelia. "So you can disclose the private stuff."

“Both of you need to leave,” he said. “I’m transferring Runas to a hospital soon.”

“Why? We have a great detox program here.”

Dr. Durotan's jaw clenched. “Runas isn’t like this because of drugs.”

Taelia looked at Anduin.

“Then his behavior—?”

“Delirium caused by a virus.”

* * *

 

Sylvanas tried really hard to concentrate on the reports in front of her, but her eyes kept going back to her phone. Anduin had not replied to her text which was unusual. She knew it was for the best that he hadn’t. Perhaps it would be good if he was mad at her and they fought. Any excuse might serve to help what she knew had to be done. Nathanos hadn’t lied when he said the most merciful thing she could do for the young man was letting him go. To release him from her clutches, so that he could preserve the very thing she lacked was the right thing to do. She was older, the one perfectly capable of cutting the relationship and sticking to the decision. Anduin would never end it, not even if she pushed all of his buttons to make him leave. He felt it was his duty to be there for her at the detriment of even himself and that was precisely why Nathanos had rightfully suggested  _she_ needed to end things.

_It’s the right thing to do._

If she repeated it enough, she would believe it. 

Sylvanas looked at her hands, studied her veins. To anyone else she was the same woman she had always been, but she saw the subtle changes. Her skin had been a flushed peach tone and now it was like pale porcelain. Her hair had been a tad more gold, much silkier and full and now it was muted and fine. The differences would only grow until she remained but a husk of herself. And the physical changes were the least of her worries. Her mind would go as well. She would grow angrier, violent, and eventually she would lose her mind. In a small mercy granted by fate, she was also the only one who could stop it all from happening. With a frustrated groan, she pushed aside the paperwork and threw her head back on the chair. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the headache to go back to hell.

Her office was lavish and spacious, fit for one of the heirs and the head of research of a company that made billions on the necessity of the ill. Every single thing in that office had been paid by the suffering of others. How ironic that now she should count herself among the pitiful and damned. She laughed because she could. She did so until the urge to cry won out. She blinked the tears back, swallowed the sob, and forced herself to remember not all was lost. It wasn’t something as vague and stupid as hope that kept her going.  What she had was a latent possibility at the palm of her hands; her research.

They were so close. They needed more test subjects and those were exceedingly rare to come by. Those who were like her were valuable assets to the military. They had cost the government billions. They wouldn’t risk it for the possibility of a cure that might destroy the very weapons they had made out of them. At some point, they would be given suitable test subjects. Nathanos said they would have them soon. They would not ask questions about where they came from. At first, it had been hard to experiment on human beings. Her conscious kept her up at night, their dead eyes haunting her nightmares, but eventually, she grew numb. They all did. It was something that came with years in research. 

If she thought about the work ahead of her there was no time to play house or indulge in feelings and the complications that came with having a romantic relationship. Sylvanas had to remember what her mockery of a life had been like before Anduin had flipped everything upside down. The problem was she had liked her life a lot less before him.

_It’s the right thing to do._

A knock at her door and then a click. She opened her eyes to catch Nathanos slip inside, carrying a black box in his hands. A jewelry box. Her heart lurched, the vision of him with such an item summoning ghost feelings. She rejected them more vehemently than the ones burning her about Anduin. Nathanos came to her side without a word and sat on the edge of her desk, right over her phone. Her eyes slid up to his with a glare. He didn’t mind her irritation in the least. He’d grown immune to everything. Well, almost.

“It’s not my birthday or the anniversary of our cursed arrangement.”

He opened the box. There was a watch inside. Rose gold. With diamonds. As exuberant and expensive and impractical as almost everything sent by her sister.

“Let me guess. Alleria wants to keep track of me?”

“This is meant to monitor your body’s health,” he said. “The tracker is just an extra so that I can get to you without having to hunt you down when you decide to play hide and seek.”

“Did you tell her?”

“I trust you will take care of it before she finds out.”

 _Take care of it_ — as if it were something trivial. She didn’t know what angered her more; that Nathanos dismissed Anduin as someone inconsequential or that he had dared to propose this idea under the guise of her well being to Alleria. She knew he did not have the means or authority to have something so ridiculously expensive made for its intended purpose. He had to have been very convincing to procure it so quickly from her sister.

“What do the lesser zombies get? A microchip?”

“At least she didn’t make it a choker,” he scoffed. "And you're not a zombie. Quit using sensationalist terminology." 

Sylvanas held up her wrist to him. “Go on. Shackle me.”

Nathanos took her hand, his thumb gently caressing the sensitive skin of her wrist. Sylvanas reached up and pulled him by that growing beard, satisfied that she still had the power to surprise and unsettle him. “I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to check my pulse or shackle me, _Nathan_.”

His body shuddered under her voice. He leaned into her lips, but caught himself. “Don't tease me. I don’t take kindly to being toyed with."

“I remember well that you don’t.” Sylvanas slithered back into her chair. “I want to go to my prison to be with Lady. Deliver these documents. I’ll be in the car. You are driving today.”

“As you wish.”

Sylvanas did not delay in her office. She didn’t bother to take her purse or phone. Nathanos would fetch them for her. She only took her coat because she needed something warm around a body that grew colder in the evenings. She had her private elevator, an escape route really, but she didn’t take it all the way to the garage. She wanted to have at least a few minutes outside to herself to clear her thoughts. She passed through the lobby and reception, nodding at her staff who took deep bows when she went by their stations. She pushed through the revolving doors and took a deep breath when she made it outside. The night was bitterly cold. She relished it. Someday she wouldn’t feel anything.

_Nothing like city smog to clear sentimentalities away._

Sylvanas had not expected to see Anduin at the foot of the twenty four steps that led to the skyscraper that her family owned with the Theron’s. She did not expect the rush of feelings that swept through upon seeing him there, the wind ruffling his long hair. He held a bag of takeout from her favorite place. It made her heart sink. He looked like absolute shit, worry and disappointment etched on his face. She went down and he came up, until they met halfway. Like this, Anduin was a step below her, but they were almost the same height. The position struck her. It defined their entire relationship. Sylvanas was overwhelmed by the terrible coincidence that the day she chose to leave through the front entrance was the same day he had found the courage to return to the very place it had all began for them.

_It’s the right thing to do._

Anduin handed her the bag and Sylvanas took a peek inside. There were two portions. He had planned to eat with her. It was obvious he had changed his mind about that. The scent of the food reminded her of him, of those early days when they ordered cheap food after having sex, and talked about things that had eventually led them to end there; tangled by feelings that should have never bloomed.

“I thought you probably skipped lunch _and_ dinner, so I came to drop this off.” He looked at her. “Along the way I realized I don’t even know where you live.”

There was a hint of accusation there.

“One for me and the other for Lady?”

“Give me some credit.” His eyes were a storm of emotions. “I can read between the lines. I know I shouldn’t be here. That you don’t want me here. That your text was an—”

“No.” She traced the line of his jaw. “That isn’t true, Little Lion.”

He leaned into the touch. “Which part isn’t true?”

Sylvanas then traced the line of his lips. Anduin took her hand, cold as it was, and kissed it. Sylvanas felt her resolve falter, her entire being shattering under such uninhibited tenderness. She held the nape of his neck and rested her forehead on his.

“What am I going to do with you? I want to keep you. I want you to be _mine_.”

“I’m already yours,” he said against her lips.

She brushed her nose with his, drinking the electric tension between them. Everything from the morning came back full force and she couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped her when he pulled her to him by the waist.

“ _Sylvanas_.” Her body stiffened upon hearing Nathanos’ voice. “If you have finished paying the delivery boy, let’s go. We can’t afford to be late.”

Anduin did not turn to Nathanos. He was looking at her, through her. Sylvanas regarded her bodyguard with a scalding glower. He knew better than to intervene into her personal affairs, yet there he stood, coming closer, as if willing to forcibly separate them.

“Bring my car around,” she demanded icily.

“No.”

"No? You're defying me?" Sylvanas’ lip curled. “Bring my car around, _now._ ”

Nathanos remained still for a moment before he bowed his head, like her other employees had. He was mocking her, of course. She knew him too well to believe he was being obedient. He was only showing her he was playing the role far better than she was. Much to her incredulity, Nathanos snatched the takeout bag from her and inserted a very large bill into the pocket of Anduin’s jacket. Her lion didn’t bother to acknowledge the gesture. His focus was _her_. He was studying her every reaction. Sylvanas grabbed Nathanos’ wrist, ready to reprimand his audacity, but Anduin placed his hand over hers and shook his head. Nathanos scoffed at the sight of them and walked away toward the garage entrance. She calculated it would take him less than ten minutes to bring the car around. It was hardly enough time to compartmentalize her feelings. Her eyes fell to the bill that was tucked in Anduin's pocket. Right over his heart. A target mark. A reminder that it was precisely where the bullet would go through if she didn’t do what was needed. Nathanos was there to protect not just her, but the information she possessed, and a body that no longer belonged to her. She took the bill and ripped it up, her hands trembling with rage as she did so. 

“Who was he?”

She lifted a brow at him. “My bodyguard.”

Anduin caressed her cheek with his thumb. “Who _was_ he, Sylvanas?”

_It’s the right thing to do._

“It was him, wasn’t it?”

“Who do you mean?”

“Don’t play with me,” he pleaded. “You know exactly what I am asking you, Sylvanas. It’s been a very long day… so much happened after you left. I… I am tired. I’m frankly depressed. All I wanted was to come here and see you if only for a little bit.” His blue eyes searched hers. “Who was that, Sylvanas?”

“He’s exactly who you suspect he is,” she replied. “He is also my bodyguard, as I told you.”

“Why? Why _him_? You can hire anyone, so why him?” Anduin pointed in the direction where Nathanos had disappeared. “He obviously still has feelings for you.”

“He doesn't.”

“By the Light, Sylvanas. I’m twenty-four, not blind and stupid! That little stunt he pulled reeked of jealousy. He wanted to put me in my place.” He rubbed his face with his hands. “Does he wait outside my apartment? Across the street? Does he drive you home after we—”

“Not anymore.”

Anduin was mad. This was good. They could fight and she could end it. Everything would go back to normal. He would go on with his life and she could try to salvage her own. This what what she had to do. For him  _and_ herself.

“He also lives with me.”

Anduin gaped at her.  “Since when?”

“College."

He was stunned. "When were you planning to tell me?"

"There was no reason for me to tell you."

“He is your ex.”

“And?”

He shook his head. "You're doing this on purpose. You know that no one in their right mind would be okay with this and you're doing it to push me. You're going to have to try a lot harder than this."

"What do you want me to say, Anduin? That I will fire him to appease your insecurity?”

“My _insecurity_?"

"He is my shadow. If I walk into hell, then he will come with me."

"I can't believe this."

"Should I call him back so you can confirm it?"

Anduin ran a hand over his head. "I'm not giving you the satisfaction."

“I told you, didn’t I? I told you not to push for _this_ to be more. You didn’t listen. You never do. You pushed because you think the world is so simple—”

“I pushed because I love you!”

“I can’t give you what you want, Light damn it! I _can’t._ ”

“Would you want to?”

“What the hell does it matter?”

“I _don’t_ get it, Sylvanas. I don’t. I know you feel the same way I do. What in the world is so complicated about being in a relationship? What happened to what we experienced this morning?"

_It’s the right thing to do._

"Why do you keep pushing me away? By the Light, is it our age difference? Religion?”

“There is more to this than just trivial bullshit, Anduin!” She was feeling the loss of control. Everything was slipping away. “You have _no idea_! You don’t know and I—”

“Then tell me! Give me a reason! Why can’t you take the leap of faith with me? By the Light, why are you being so—”

“I don’t have a future to give you!”

"Because you don't want to!"

"Because I’m _dying_!"

Immediately, Sylvanas clamped a hand over her mouth, horrified by the confession he had torn from her. Shaking her head, she stumbled over what to say to fix such an unforgivable blunder. Her anger had propelled her, the pain of having to let go blindsiding her into uttering the one thing she should have taken to her grave. If Nathanos had heard such confession, it was all over for Anduin. She glanced at the watch. Did it have a microphone? Was he listening to their conversation? Was Alleria? Lor’themar? The organization? Sylvanas looked around, feeling the towering buildings collapsing on her. Were they up there? Sharpshooters? She pushed away from Anduin, trying to create distance, trying to rebuild a wall that he could not pass or climb, but he took her hand and pulled her back. His beautiful eyes blurred with tears. She saw devastation and torment in their depths. He reached for her desperately, folding her into a tight embrace, as if he could keep death from taking her. He was crying for her. He was mourning her.

“Light, please. Don’t do this to me.”

She closed her eyes, remembering a time when she too had prayed such words. The Light had not listened. It had not saved her. It had not spared her. It was cruel. It probably didn’t even exist. It couldn’t possibly when it allowed such cruelties in the world.

_You no longer belong to yourself. Your life isn’t yours, but you will be permitted to live as if it was. You are special. Different from the others. I chose you to be the first._

Sylvanas pushed the memories back. That voice. That voice that came to her without a face. The days locked in that room, in darkness, tortured. How she had screamed. How she had prayed. How she had hoped. All to end _here_. Her pulse accelerated. Her fingers went numb. She wanted to hold Anduin, but when she lifted her hands she saw that her palms had turned ashy. She was transforming in his arms. Panic gripped her heart. She pushed Anduin away, turning from him. She ran, but her strength was slipping. She would not get far enough. How could this be possible? She had taken her medication. Nathanos had given her a booster in the morning to stabilize her. She looked at her hands. The color began to drain more, creeping up her wrist until it disappeared under the long sleeve of her blouse. It was spreading so fast. At this rate, she would collapse.

_When your transformation is complete you will be rid of your mortal failings. You will rise again. You will be stronger. You will be unfeeling. You will be invincible. And you will serve me._

Her legs gave out under her. She was vaguely aware of beeping. The watch. The distress signal was sent. She fell into Anduin’s arms. Sylvanas could see herself reflected in his eyes. Even her lips turned gray. He was praying under his breath. Touching her face, asking her to stay with him. She couldn’t move. It was like dying every time it happened, her very life force melting away. It was too late, but she said it anyways.

“Run.”

Anduin took out his cellphone. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

Nathanos tore her from him and smashed Anduin’s phone against the concrete. She saw then that she had almost made it to the garage entrance, further than she thought she could considering how fast the virus moved through her system, killing her once more. How many times had it been? Certainly not so many in the recent years.

_Is the medication... failing?_

“Leave now, boy!" Nathanos barked. "I thought I tipped you well enough.”

“I’m not going anywhere. She’s sick! We need to get her to a hospital.”

Nathanos cradled her head in his arms. He rolled up her sleeves, injecting the burning serum that would bring her back to the charade. Except the pain vanished far too quickly and she didn't feel the warmth return to her body. Her head lolled to the side. Anduin was watching her on his knees. He looked terrified.

“What’s wrong with her?”

_Why don’t you ever listen?_

“It isn’t your concern,” hissed Nathanos. “You are nuisance here. Leave.”

_Go. Just go... he's... giving you a chance. Run._

“You know perfectly well I can’t do that. She needs—”

Nathanos pulled out his gun and placed the barrel right between Anduin’s furrowed brows. “Get lost, _Little Lion._ Whatever you heard or saw, I suggest you keep it to yourself or you will cause the woman in my arms an immense amount of pain when I blow a bullet through your uselessly thick skull.”

"Anduin..." Sylvanas gasped for air. "Go."

Nathanos nodded to her. "You should listen to her while I can afford mercy."

“Gun… put it... away... it’s… an order.”

“I would listen to the boss lady,” said a feminine voice. “Or I’m going to knock your head out of the park with this bat. It’ll be a home run long before you can swing around to shoot me.”

“I told you to wait in the car, Taelia.”

“You honestly didn’t think I’d stay put when this mafioso looking man is holding a gun to your head, did you? What kind of friend _waits in the car_ seeing all this?" She sighed. "Let me guess? You fell for a mob boss’ woman? Damnit, Anduin! When I told you I wanted to go on an adventure, I didn’t mean a gangster drama.”

“I guess you weren’t persuasive enough, Sylvanas,” said Nathanos. He injected another dose. The pain was blinding. She hissed, her insides burning. “Now it seems you have ruined the lives of two _kids_. As if we didn’t have a long enough list of sins to pave our path to hell before.”

They were instantly surrounded by dozens of other agents from the organization. She wouldn’t put it past them to have secured the entire perimeter. Slowly, she felt sensation return to her extremities and the fog which descended upon her mind lifted bit by bit. Five men tried to hold down the girl she had not been able to appreciate until then. She was beastly strong, built in muscle, her raven hair obscuring most of her face as she tried to fight back. Would they turn her? Would they want to take her strength and enhance it and make her a monster, too?

“Someone shove a rag down that screeching girl’s throat or I swear I will grind her over with that pathetic excuse of a car she drives,” snarled Nathanos.

“Don’t you say an ill word about Galeheart, you pubic browed moron! And if any of you gorillas puts a scratch on my baby—”

“Please! Your car has more scratches than I have hair,” spat Nathanos. “You two over there. Tow away that thing and leave it at a scrap yard where it belongs.”

“Don’t you dare, pube brows. I will end you once I’m done with your troglodytes!”

“Even the Fifth War couldn’t end me, child. Take a number and wait your turn to try.” He waved a hand. “Take her away before I lose what little compassion I have mustered for these meddling kids. This generation. A bunch of disrespectful brats. The lot of them should be eradicated.”

Anduin was still close by. Two men restrained him where he knelt. His eyes were on her. “Sylvanas?”

“Little Lion…" She hated how stupidly obstinate he was. "Why didn’t you run?”

“I am not going anywhere,” said Anduin.

Nathanos gestured to him. “You had to pick a more stubborn one than me! Had to outdo yourself like always. Think of the positive; we’re saving millions from having to hear his religious drivel.”

She clung to Nathanos’ lapels. “Don't you dare—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll bring the ape girl and your lion cub to your prison, less you say jealousy is what caused me to throw them where I’d like — the sewers.”

"Let them go. You were... willing before."

"I can't kill twenty men from the organization to keep this contained." Nathanos' face twisted with sorrow. “You should have been more convincing in sending him away. It’s too late now. He saw what he shouldn’t have. I can’t let him go. All I can do is delay the bullet that should be lodged through his decorative brain right about now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know — the pace! This one definitely moves faster than BtD, as intended. Oh, Anduin... this is payback for all you put me through in Pandaria. :P 
> 
> Thank you all for reading. Just know replies to comments will probably be delayed; I've been (and continue to be) swamped. Now to work on BtD in those rare free moments. We last left Anduin at the mercy of a banshee... and he's going to have to be his own hero. :P


	4. Shackled

When the blindfold was removed, Anduin was not in the dreary, dark basement he imagined they would take him to. He was in a room with only a bed in it; there were no frames on the walls, no other furniture or personal effects, no windows. The light fixtures on the ceiling illuminated the space in a soft amber hue that would have relaxed him under different circumstances. There were three doors and Sylvanas’ former lover leaned against the wall close to one of them, arms crossed, pinning him with a glare. His men had referred to him as _Blightcaller._ It was a curious moniker for someone serving a scientist whose life work involved finding a cure to eradicate plague strains that still lingered after the Fifth World War. Were the man’s eyes hazel or an olive green? It was impossible to tell with him squinting suspiciously at him. Not that such details mattered. Anduin had far more pressing concerns. He couldn’t push aside the memory of Sylvanas, losing all color, becoming cold to the touch, as if she were long dead. Even her eyes had faded to white. It was terrifying, like something straight out of a horror movie, and Anduin wasn’t easily shaken by such things.

As the son of a preacher he had seen many forms of sickness, he had even seen what the dead looked like when the Light called their souls back to the cosmos. What happened to Sylvanas was unlike anything he’d ever witnessed; it was as if death itself moved over her body like a wave, washing away her life. And this man, the Blightcaller, knew what was wrong with her. He had administered two injections that returned Sylvanas to the warmth of life she deserved. It was evident that he was trained to do more than follow her around to protect her from harm in the form of physical assaults. He seemed her personal nurse as well. Perhaps he was. Maybe this was the reason she kept him instead of another; she trusted him with her life where others might have failed her. Anduin could not blame her; she had said she had very few people in whom she could trust once, but he’d been ignorant of how deep that statement ran.

_I have been in the dark about so much…_

Sylvanas was dying. That’s what she said. The reason why she could not pursue a future with him was because she did not have a future to give. Everything made sense. Her hesitance to _stay_ with him was so that he would not know she was sick. She refused to share details about her life because they were messy and complicated, proven by the fact that he was hostage who knew where by order of her own bodyguard. Anduin guessed he was still in the city. Though they had driven around for hours, it had been in a large circle, to confuse their sense of distance. He could not explain it, but he was certain that Sylvanas was also nearby. It was as though he could sense her presence, faint as it was.

_I want to see you. I want to talk with you._

His heart was shattered. To not know how long she had to live broke him. What ailed her? Could he do anything to help? The Light had been merciful and miraculous before, granting him favor so many times on matters of illness. Could it not grant him one final blessing? He would never ask for anything else, if it would grant him this one petition. Anduin would devote himself to the Light forever, do anything it asked of him, as long as she could live on.

“If you’ve finished trying to uselessly devise a way to escape,” said Blightcaller. “Sit and listen.”

The salty tone was expected. This was a man who still had feelings for Sylvanas, no matter what she said. Anduin knew a friendship between them was impossible, nor did he really want one, but he hoped they could remain cordial for her sake. They shared the common interest of wanting Sylvanas’ well being and that was enough for Anduin to push down his testerone and put _her_ before his ego. To show a willingness to work with him, Anduin sat on the bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together.

“Where is Taelia? What have you done with her?”

“If you had cared for the safety of your little friend,” and the way Blightcaller said it implied he believed they were _more_ , which made Anduin frown. “You would have run when you had the chance. Perhaps right after I pulled a gun on you. That would have been a splendid time to concern yourself with her well being. But _no_. Like a fool, you remained there. You have brought that ape girl into an ordeal she never had to be a part of if only you’d listened to your elders.”

“Spare me,” said Anduin, harsher than he wanted. “You know who I am and what Sylvanas means to me. If you had been in my shoes — knowing only that she looked like she was dying in your arms — what would you have done? I doubt you would have run away even if you had a dozen guns pointed at your head.”

Blightcaller regarded him for a long time with a quirked brow. It seemed to Anduin he was not looking at him though, rather he was recalling something just beyond.

“I’ll take your silence to mean you understand my decision.”

The man pushed himself off the wall and walked up to him. Crouching, he lifted his chin and spoke in a much quieter voice. “You knew who I was as well, didn’t you? You must have known that I had the situation under control. She even asked you to leave. You didn’t listen. Now we’re here. The last place she wanted you to ever be and a place I’m going to try to get you out of.”

“You people have a lot of power.”

“You have no idea, _boy_.”

Anduin furrowed his brows. “I have a name.”

“I will use your given name when you’re worthy of being addressed with it. _Boy_ is the best I can muster to retain some civility between us.”

“Should I address you as Mr. Blightcaller?”

He chuckled. “Nice try, brat… but you’ll need to gain a few years and pray for my brain to rot to trick me into revealing more than you need to know.”

“She could have told me your name.”

Blightcaller chuckled. “Sylvanas would not speak such details about me to you, even if you begged her. The most you were told was what you needed to know; we were lovers, now I’m her bodyguard, and I am going to follow her to hell if I must.”

“Why do you work in this capacity?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know? Alas, it’s none of your damned business. Now, to what actually matters—”

“You haven’t told me what you’ve done with Taelia,” he said. “Let her go. She has nothing to do with me. She’s only a co-worker who gave me a ride.”

“Either you think I’m stupid or you’re more naive than I thought. Do you think a mere co-worker would threaten an armed man with a baseball bat if the person on the other end of the barrel wasn’t someone she cared for?”

“Taelia would do that for anyone.”

“You _are_ naive.” Blightcaller grunted. “Never mind. Quite frankly, I don’t care if she’s your main squeeze or side dish or whatever you kids call it now.”

“She’s not my lover.”

“Of course not, boy. A religious rat like you would cut off his own balls before being in an open relationship. Stop wasting time pleading for her. It’s futile. She’s not here because she’s related to you. She’s here because she saw something she shouldn’t have and now she can’t go back to the world you kids should have never left.”

“Instead of being cryptic, why not tell me what world I’ve walked into once and for all?”

“And ruin my fun at seeing you squirm in suspense? All in due time, _Little Lion._ ”

“Please don’t call me as she does.”

“I’m sorry for ruining the memory of your passionate fucking,” he said. “The only thing you need to get into that empty brain of yours about your status quo is this; you’re supposed to be dead. Right about now your body should be at the morgue.”

“Why isn’t it?”

Blightcaller looked at his own hands. “Why, indeed.”

“You spared me for a reason.”

“You can’t be as dumb as you look.”

Anduin pressed on. “For Sylvanas’ sake?”

Once more, Blightcaller only looked at him, this time sizing him up. At last, and very much against himself, if his hostile tone was any indicator, he spoke. “I don’t want her to carry another ghost on her back, boy. And I also don’t want them to hold someone else over her head. These are the reasons I’m even going to attempt to help you out of this mess. Is that clear?”

Anduin nodded. “How can I help?”

“ _Now_ you want to help,” he muttered. “You’re not out of the morgue, yet. There is still another person who can do what I failed to do. You stand a chance, slim as it is, if you do what I say. If you can be convincing about what you saw tonight, that is — that Sylvanas _only had a panic attack_ … you might make it out of the morgue. Go on, tell me. Sell me the lie as the purest truth.”

“I don’t understand.”

“What part of dying if you fail this is so hard to comprehend?”

“There were witnesses,” Anduin said. “Your men.”

“Concern yourself only with what _you_ saw. Not what they saw or what they’ll say.”

“If this situation is as critical as warranting I should die for what I saw, will they just take my word for it? Somehow, I doubt it.”

“Perhaps you’re not as dumb as you look.”

Anduin sighed. “This would be easier if you didn’t insult me at every turn, Blightcaller. Regardless of what you think of me, I know we both want what’s best for Sylvanas.”

“Had you truly wanted her best you wouldn’t have pushed for something that was hopeless.”

“All I knew until a couple of hours ago was that she was pushing me away for reasons that _weren’t_ hopeless.” Anduin ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I don’t think lying is going to work. There are ways to prove I’m faking it.”

“A Truth Scanner?” Blightcaller waved his hand dismissively. “That is easy to manipulate. All you have to do is _believe_ the lie is the truth. Surely someone like you, who believes in an invisible omnipotent force, should be able to do this. Channel the faith you have in that faceless, non-existent deity of yours into the single thought that you saw nothing more than a panic attack. Do you think you can muster that much usefulness?”

Anduin shook his head, an argument on the tip of his tongue.

“Let me offer you an incentive,” Blightcaller said. “If you fail to be convincing, you’ll die. But the ape girl won’t. She will be drafted to a place where death would be the most merciful thing that could happen to her and it won’t be granted. And Sylvanas, who has dedicated her life to a research that _might_ save her, would be excluded from the beneficiaries of that drug. Is this enough to inspire you or should I stack more incentives?”

Anduin licked his lips. His mouth had gone dry. “Who is behind all this?”

Blightcaller rolled his eyes. “Add two plus two and you should have the answer.”

_The government._

There was no other entity that could have such power. Anduin could not imagine Blightcaller speaking so confidently about getting away with murder if he were not backed by the very people who could bend law enforcement.

“Well?”

Taking a deep breath, Anduin nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“That sounded _very_ half-hearted.”

Clenching his fists, Anduin looked up at him. “I was shocked. Sylvanas has had panic attacks before. It’s expected. She is a veteran. This time it was different. I could tell. I work at a clinic—”

“How charming…”

“—it was as bad as some of the patients who go there. She fainted. I couldn’t just leave her. I love her. I had to stay with her, so I did.”

Blightcaller tilted his head. “Inject a little less sentimentality next time and we might be getting somewhere useful. You could live to see another sunset. Now, try to control your body, too. You’re shaking more than a palm tree during a hurricane.”

“Because you haven’t told me how she is.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Blightcaller snapped his fingers. “I hope that was part of the act.”

“Life imitates art.” Anduin sighed. “Is this enough? There’s also Taelia. She was there.”

“Your friend is currently sedated for her own safety.” Blightcaller lifted a hand when Anduin attempted to protest. “She was going to dislocate her shoulder or something trying to bring down the door with that boulder of a body of hers. Besides, if your performance is good enough, they’ll simply take my report and not send her to hell.”

“Will they really let us go?”

He frowned. “Not really.”

“Then what’s all this for?”

“For Sylvanas.”

“What happens after?”

“From now on you’ll be on their radar and if anything gets out of what you truly saw, they’ll know you lied and they’ll be there to correct their mistake of letting you go. They will wipe _everything and everyone_ you touched. You might become a recluse, just to avoid slipping up, just to be sure that someday they don’t come after everyone you’ve ever said hello to.”

“Is that what they did to you?”

“Stop this bullshit. We’re never going to be friends, boy.”

“I need to understand where I am standing.”

“You’re right outside the gates of hell.”

“And Sylvanas?”

Blightcaller groaned. “You will not see her again. They won’t let you. It’s over. Consider your last time together your final goodbye. They’re not going to compromise something greater than you for some puppy love.”

“Will you stop that? How old were you when _you_ fell in love with her? Did those feelings fade? Was it puppy love? Don’t try to sell _me_ the lie that you don’t care about her! Even a blind man could see that you still do!”

“You aren’t me. You don’t have to be.”

“Can’t I stay?”

“You have nothing to offer them.”

“There must be something—”

Blightcaller grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “This isn’t a fairytale, boy. This is real life. This is not a game. Can you offer them something? Yes. You can give them your father’s head on a silver platter.”

Anduin paled.

Blightcaller chuckled bitterly. “You can’t even stomach the idea! Don’t worry, they’re not going to ask you to assassinate him, but there are many ways to kill someone.”

“Is this already in motion?”

“Of course it is, you fool. They want to dismantle the church to an extent where it stops having influence over policies in this country. They’re a problem for _us._ ”

“Who is _us_?”

“All in due time,” he assured. “Sure, there are powerful, two-faced politicians backing up your little prayer place since it suits them — religion matters to the rabble and they need those fool’s votes to keep their positions — but they would love for the church to not intervene with how they’re filling up their pockets with money from the enemies of your Light. What better way to control that dragon than by getting dirt on them through you? You are someone with access to them and with a weakness for one of _us._ You’re the perfect pawn to exploit. Tell me, boy. Can you betray your father, your friends, your beloved Light, just to be with Sylvanas?”

_Stop scaring your master’s boyfriend, guard dog._

Blightcaller looked like he had swallowed a rotten apple upon hearing the voice. Anduin looked for the source. There was no one else in the room. He could not see any speakers.

_What’s with bringing him here? There are plenty of rooms in this house. You had to be petty and bring him to this one! Wait until I tell Sylvanas._

Blightcaller’s upper lip curled in annoyance, but Anduin had to know. “Who is that?”

_Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Forsaken. I am the House. The House is Me. Please excuse our dog. He is not housebroken. Sylvanas was too lenient with him in his formative years. Don’t get too close either. He’s not vaccinated against rabies._

“I know it’s you, Theron! I can tell the difference between your atrocious program and you!”

_Paid me that much attention in college, did you? I knew liking Sylvanas was only a cover-up for your true feelings for me. I will say, I admire your efforts in trying to preserve the life of your love rival, for the sake of your master, but I am afraid it will not work._

“It has worked before.”

 _Unfortunately for you,_ **_she_ ** _is parking as we speak. She set the system to manual from HQ. Just to sneak up on you. I kindly took pity on your efforts to preserve this angel-boy and intervened to tell you personally. She has talented specialists at her disposal, but they’re all morons compared to my genius._

“Why didn’t you tell me when she overrode the system, you imbecile? I could have—”

_Isn’t this the part where you wag your tail in gratitude?_

“This is the part where you’re lucky you’re not in this room, Theron. Next time we meet—”

_Alright. Yes. I’ll give you a treat next time. I promise. For being a good ‘doggo.’_

Blightcaller looked at Anduin. Every line of his face was scrunched with anger. “Listen carefully, boy. Don’t speak. Until she asks you something specific, stay quiet. Follow my lead. And for your Light’s sake, keep your mushy feelings to yourself. Don’t expose your heart. Understood?”

_3… 2… 1..._

Anduin barely had time to reply before one of the doors in the bedroom opened. A tall, elegant woman walked in, her golden hair cascading in loose, lucious waves over her shoulders. She wore a white tailored business suit. Her heels clicked with every sway of her hips as she came to stand before them. She removed her enormous sunglasses to regard them with cold emerald eyes — the same color of her pumps. The resemblance to Sylvanas was unmistakable. A few fine lines crinkled the corner of her sharp eyes, but she was nonetheless a stunning woman. Her lips, painted a flattering soft coral, curved into a friendly grin that seemed incongruent with the imposing aura she possessed.

“You look surprised.” Her voice was strong and feminine, though it lacked the coquette purr of Sylvanas’ voice. He had no doubts in his mind that the two were related. The woman glanced about, shaking her head in disapproval. “What sort of room have you brought _our_ guest into?”

“Interesting,” said Blightcaller. “I didn’t hear of your arrival from the AI, director.”

She arched a golden brow. “So many years later and you still can't hide your disdain.”

Blightcaller ignored that comment. “As for the _guest_ — he is in this room for initial questioning, _ma’am._ ”

The woman turned to Anduin, giving him an appreciative once over. “You remind me of my husband when he was younger. It’s good to see my sister’s taste has improved in time.”

“Thanks—?”

The woman glanced at Blightcaller. “You shut off a ten block radius of the city and expect me to leave the interrogations to you, _Nathanos_?”

“Why would I bother you with something so insignificant?”

Her sneer could cut concrete. “Insignificant? Well, I suppose you could have a compromised perspective given the circumstances, but I would hardly call an affair that has spanned over a year to be _insignificant_ to my dearest sister.”

_This must be Alleria… so her sister is behind all this?_

“Let’s not pretend we’re ignorant here, shall we?” She inched closer to Nathanos, which was a far better name than Blightcaller. “Tell me why I had to find out about this young man from reports not signed by you? Why must I pay such a substantial amount of money to know information you are supposed to provide me?”

“I didn’t think it was important.”

“I don’t pay you to think for me,” she said coldly. “Are you still confused about who you should be loyal to? Everything that happens in her life must be reported to me. That is part of your job. You don’t get to decide what I should know about.”

“I apologize for taking attributions I shouldn’t have,” he said, though he barely sounded sincere. “She was going to end things with him soon.”

“That’s a cruel thing to say in front of this young man.”

“Let’s have a talk, _director.”_

The woman shook a finger at him. “I’m not interested in what you have to say.”

“He doesn't know—”

The woman pressed her finger against Nathanos’ lips. Her expression left no room for interruption. Turning to Anduin, she offered him a smile.

“I am Alleria Windrunner.” She stretched her hand out to him. “I already know who you are, but what I would really like to know is what you were planning to do with my sister?”

Anduin blinked. Nathanos was giving him the look — a warning so stern he couldn’t interpret it as anything but _don’t you dare fuck this up._

Anduin shook her hand. “I—I don’t quite understand.”

Alleria touched his shoulder and turned him away from Nathanos. “Sure you do, Mr. Wrynn. You approached my sister at a protest you led—”

“I wasn’t leading the protest. I was only a part of it.”

“Minor details,” she shrugged. “After that protest you stalked her, then you seduced her with that pretty face of yours. And well, it wasn’t hard for you to play the part given that my sister is such a beauty. She was always deemed the prettiest among us. Any man would do it with pleasure.” Anduin felt her nails dig into his clavicle. “But, you targeted her on your father’s orders. You wanted to find some dirty secrets about her and the year long sexual rendezvous finally paid off because you got a huge scoop tonight. It’s a pity you will never tell anyone about it, much less your father. I will not let a brat ruin my sister and—”

“Mrs. Windrunner, with all due respect, I must interrupt you because it isn’t as you say.” He was appalled she would even think those were ever his motives. “I genuinely have feelings for Sylvanas. I… I would do anything for her. She’s not a game to me. Nor did I pursue her with ulterior motives. My father doesn’t even know about my relationship. No one does.”

When Alleria’s smile grew wider he felt like he had been caught by a tigress. “Are you ready to prove it? Are you ready to prove that you did not wish to—”

“Alleria!” Nathanos broke between them, taking hold of the woman’s arm. “Don’t do this.”

She glanced at his grip. “If this _triggers_ you, walk out.”

Nathanos’ voice was strained. “Wasn’t I enough? Why—? She’s your sister! Don’t do this again.”

“She’s survived.”

Nathanos looked on the verge of striking the woman. His fingers curled into fists at his side as he let her go. “You are a fucking monster. You disgust me.” To Anduin, "I told you not to wear your heart on your sleeve, idiot. Now... now it's useless."

He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. For a brief moment, Anduin could see how much the words affected Alleria. From what little the two had said in front of him, almost as if forgetting he was even there, it was clear that Nathanos was _forced_ to be there. Perhaps not entirely, as it was evident he was more than willing to serve Sylvanas, but his relationship with Alleria was borderline hostile.

Anduin made sure his expression was carefully blank when she focused on him, snapping out of whatever bitter memory she had sunk into. “Whatever he told you,” she said, voice much softer. “It is all true. While I see sincerity in your eyes, I can’t afford the risk.”

Alleria pulled out a gun from her back and looked at it. Anduin swallowed, his eyes fixed on her fingers as they stroked the details of the weapon.

“My sister was always very good at shooting. Arrows. Bullets. Grenades. Sarcastic remarks. Where I was tough and reserved, single-minded and clinically practical, she was… a better version of me. Our little sister, Vereesa, that brat was always more emotional. Your gaze reminds me of hers. Honest to a fault, that one. She could not fool anyone. You certainly don’t.”

“I saw her.”

“I know you did.”

Anduin felt the burn of tears. “I don’t want her to die.”

“I ask you again, Anduin Wrynn," she whispered. "What you are willing to do for my—”

“Please don’t make me choose.” He didn’t care he was begging. “I can’t hurt my father.”

Alleria tilted her head. “What about Jaina Proudmoore?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll polish this later. It is late... I may have confused names, pronouns, and my original characters. Let's hope I posted the correct content. In other news: I am almost done with the next BtD chapter. I am trying for shorter, tighter chapters now that Sylvanas and Anduin met, and there's less to fill about what's happened in the weeks we did not address in the chapters... but we shall see if they cooperate with me on that. Thanks for reading! I'll go pass out on my bed now.


	5. Allies

For a blissful moment, Sylvanas felt the warmth of the sun that filtered through the sheer curtains. She snuggled into the pillow comforted by the vigorous rhythm of her heart. When the mental fog lifted and the remnants of her dreams dissolved, reality came crashing down. All of the details of her last moments pierced through with a throbbing headache. Bolting upright she found that she was in a circular room — one of three in her home — built to withstand bullets, grenades, and someday, even her. It was surprising she had been placed there given the last episode was the worst in years, and Anduin had been there to see it. She had thought about lying to him that she suffered a more common terminal illness, but there was no way she could pretend after as much what he’d seen. Nathanos could not bury the incident. Anduin had crossed the gates of hell and there was no turning back; the organization would not let him go. Sylvanas took deep breaths to suppress her rising panic. She could not afford to fall ill or become incapacitated again. Removing the covers away from her body, she stared at her limbs. Color had returned to her flesh, but she still felt the lingering effects of the virus.

_Congratulations, you’re not a zombie yet._

“Forsaken…” she rasped out, her voice echoing in the room. “What time is it? How long have I been—”

_It’s been a little over thirteen hours._

That was not a precise calculation. Sylvanas squinted against the brightness of the white room knowing she was being watched from the surveillance feed.

“Lor’themar?”

_For your well being, it’d be best you pretend you can’t tell me apart from ‘Forsaken.’_

“It must be serious for you to be hacking into your own system, overriding whatever protocol the organization established for such cases. Where is Anduin? And the girl?”

_We’ll talk when your BPM normalizes. 167 isn’t an ideal number to get you out of here._

Forsaken continued to scan her vitals under Lor’themar’s direction. How she was able to feel when it did was still a mystery to her. She assumed it had something to do with the enhancements made to her body when they brought her back to life. She still wore the tracker on her wrist and knew that the data of her vitals would be sent to Alleria in real-time. Even if Lor’themar could fabricate her health report to get her out of the room, her sister would know it was a lie and suspect him. She could not afford to have the organization doubt in Lor’themar; he was one of her best allies. It took a great deal of mental fortitude to summon calm from memories of better days. Closing her eyes, she centered herself, tapping into old lessons in martial arts, into therapeutic mantras and even Anduin’s precious Light — anything really — to achieve serenity. Slowly, her pulse settled, and only when she was sufficiently relaxed did Lor’themar speak again.

_Anduin Wrynn and Taelia Fordragon are on the premises. Both of them are alive and unharmed._

“Fordragon?” Sylvanas’ eyes opened. “Are you certain?”

_Who do you take me for? Of course, I’m certain._

“This is serious. If she’s a Fordragon, she’s related to—”

_Not just related. She is General Bolvar Fordragon’s daughter. His only one._

Sylvanas cursed under her breath. The daughter of the great general was a person of vast interest to the military and even to the organization. After losing her entire family in the Fifth World War, she had been left in the care of another honorable family, also members of their armed forces, as stipulated in the will of General Fordragon. She had been considered a prodigy from an early age, excelling in physical combat. That explained the supernatural strength Sylvanas had seen the girl possess.

“They’re going to jump on the opportunity to rope her into the organization after this.”

_What are you going to do, Sylvanas?_

“I will give them what they want… in exchange for their freedom.”

_You are not in a position to bargain like that._

“So they think, Lor’themar.”

Sylvanas had always intended to bring down the organization. She had needed them, with their infinite resources and influence, for her research, but she had never agreed with their mission statement or long-term plans. In her estimation, the people of the organization were monsters, no different from the fiends who had created the virus and unleashed it. The world was better off without any of them.

_You can’t go to that war alone, Sylvanas. You will need more people. None of us would see tomorrow if they caught wind of our duplicity._

“They have forgotten that the populace has the true power.”

 _You’re plotting a civil war? They have the plague—_  

“So do I. Do you think I have only dedicated my life to finding a cure? No. That is too narrow-minded an objective. They focused solely on a cure because of their agenda, but I have a broader perspective. Were you not the one to always say, if you cannot stop something, turn it into your advantage. Have you considered the alternative to a cure?”

_Sylvanas, you aren’t possibly thinking what I think you are thinking, are you?_

“Up until now I always believed it was better to be dead than _transformed_ by this virus.” She stared at her hands, struggling to come to peace with what she was about to say out loud for the first time. “I thought if I could not succeed at finding a cure, I would want it to be over and done with, but they would find a way to use me, wouldn’t they? Even as a monster, they would find a way to use me. If I have to live like an undead monstrosity, it will be on my terms. I prepared for both ends.”

_Where in the world have you stored such research data that they haven’t found it?_

“You gave me a partition in the drive of this house that you said even they could not access or detect, didn’t you? Apparently, your ego was justified then."

_I gave it to you to store Nathanos’ weird fetish porn, not this! Sylvanas, you should have told me! I would have made it even more impenetrable and—_

“I am telling you now, aren’t I?”

_You crazy woman. I will get on that right away._

Sylvanas did not need to see Lor’themar in order to know that he was smiling. She got out of bed, determined. The habit of checking her body to be sure there were no hidden bruises or welts was a habit she couldn’t shake. Anduin had once thought it was a vanity for her to look into the mirror each morning. He couldn’t have known she was looking for signs to hide from him. How many lies had she told him without noticing? The corner of the room moved and the wall slid revealing a door. Sylvanas took hold of the knob, hesitating only a second to prepare herself for what she would say. There was so much to confess, so much to amend.

The hallway was warmer than the room, yet the marble floor was still frigid against her bare feet. She heard muffled voices. The aroma of fresh pancakes and strawberries filled her nostrils. This was his cooking; she would recognize the scent anywhere. He always added a bit of cinnamon and ginger to the batter and caramelizing strawberries in brown sugar. She had not known she liked such sweetness in the mornings until he had her try it. Sylvanas came into the kitchen as soundless as possible. He stood by the stove, flipping pancakes like a chef. He was there — in her home — alive, just as Lor’themar said he would be. As ephemeral as the comfort was, she drowned in it. Lady jumped on the counter to rub her head against Anduin’s hips. She had only seen five people in her home; Nathanos, the cook, the cleaner, and her sister Vereesa. That her cat showed him such affection proved he truly had a way with the living. There was a presence about him, magnetic and warm. Sylvanas thought if the Light were a person, it would look and be like him. And unlike the Light, Anduin was someone she had placed faith in.

When Lady turned to her, ears perked and tail paused mid-way, Anduin did as well. His eyes softened, his face contorting only for a second before his smile shattered through her. Sylvanas blinked back the tears, willing them away. Anduin closed the distance, as he always did, folding her into an embrace that left her breathless. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, stifling a whimper against his neck. His trembling hands buried into her hair, eyes searching her face. He touched her — felt her up — to be sure that she was real. Sylvanas considered him an oasis after journeying years through the dry, unforgiving desert. If the organization thought they could take him from they had underestimated her greatly.

“By the Light, you’re so beautiful…” he whispered against her lips before kissing her.

“You’re not supposed to be here, Little Lion.”

He pulled away so he could have another look at her. With a rueful smile, he said. “Is that something to say to your new chef when you haven’t tried his cooking?”

“New chef? What are you—” She shook her head. That wasn’t important yet. “Are you alright? Are you— is your friend also—?”

“I am fine, as you can see. She’s fine, too. She was understandably freaked out by the guns, but everything has been cleared up.”

“I don’t think she was _freaked out_ by the guns. She seemed pretty intent on whacking an armed man, come what may. That was brave of her. Reckless, but brave.” She traced the line of his jaw noticing his pale stubble. “What exactly has been clarified, though?”

“They were your bodyguards. Those men.”

“And you believe it?”

Anduin nodded.

“And you expect _me_ to believe you?”

“Nathanos mentioned that given what we saw, the only way to go about this is to have us appear as your staff for a bit. Taelia and I have no intention of telling anyone about what we saw, so he’ll let us go back to our lives as soon as you fire us for being incompetent in a few months.”

Sylvanas cupped his face. “You are such a terrible liar. I’ve been trapped in this world for too long. And your eyes — they are telling me what your words won’t say.”

His fingers dug into her waist. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” she whispered. “Tell me the truth.”

“The only truth here is that I don’t want to be separated from you,” he said. “It’s my decision. One that I have a right to make. If… if you don’t want to be with me anymore, that’s fine, but please, let me stay by your side until—”

“I die?”

“He said there was hope.”

“Anduin. It’s not what you—”

“I want to stay, please. Let me do this.”

“Did you tell _her_ that?”

Sylvanas pushed away from him. Not once had she ever seen fear in Anduin’s eyes, not even when she told him she was dying. There had been deep sorrow, yes, but not fear. What she saw was precisely that and she hated it. This was her sister’s doing — it was was her power.

“Alleria! Alleria, come out now! I know you’re here! Come out or I’ll—”

Anduin clamped his hand over her mouth, pulling her back to face him. “What are you doing?”

“Damn it,” she cursed, yanking his hand away. “Did you make that pitiful face in front of her, too? Did you make it so obvious you’d sell your soul to the devil?”

“Sylvanas, please hear me out first, alright? It’s not what you think.”

“It’s not?” Anger made her insides twist. “I won’t let her do this to me again. You will not become another tool in her arsenal!”

Anduin took her hands and kissed her knuckles. “It’s too late now… and I don’t mind where I stand. Can you please respect my decision?”

He wasn’t wrong; there was no way out. There was no decision left for Anduin to make other than to bargain with the devil. Perhaps she had even threatened his father or other people beyond _her_ that she could coerce him with. That was Alleria’s way. She got under people’s skin and made them _fear from within._ Sylvanas cried out in frustration, biting down a sob. Anduin held her close, running a hand up and down her back.

“I can get you out.”

He sighed. “I would rather Taelia got out. She didn’t know… and while I didn’t either, I had always been willing to do much to be with you.”

“I can get you both out,” she hissed. “I know it may seem like you would not survive my loss, but you will. Time heals the deepest wounds. One day you will look back—”

“Let the boy make his decisions, Sylvanas. Especially when you’re making promises to him that you have no _power_ to keep.”

Alleria had always possessed a powerful voice — strong, and clear as a bell. It took a lot of self-restraint to not lunge for her and wrestle her to the ground, fighting as they used to do when they were children. How distant and faded those memories seemed. Alleria leaned against the kitchen island, popping a halved strawberry into her mouth. Chewing slowly, savoring the tarty sweetness, she swallowed and smiled like the viper she was.

Sylvanas’ lips curled in anger. “You finally show your face.”

“I wanted to be considerate and give you two a moment,” her smile grew wider. “Anduin, won’t you be a darling and bring more pancakes out to your friend?”

He looked at her, waiting for her response. Sylvanas nodded, squeezing his hand reassuringly. Anduin stacked pancakes on a plate and grabbed his homemade strawberry syrup with the other. He looked between the two one more time, clearly not comfortable leaving them alone, but understanding this was not his battle. With one last pleading look at Sylvanas, he disappeared into the dining room, with Lady following after him. Only when his footsteps didn’t echo did Sylvanas move to the counter near the fridge, her fingers caressing the hilt of the knives. She was good at throwing them, having always succeeded at handling all forms of weaponry. Nimble Hands, they’d called her in the military, and it had been true.  

“Your aim might be poor after your last crisis,” said Alleria. “What would you do if you actually hit me while trying to bluff?”

“You think I’m bluffing?”

Alleria looked completely unphased by the danger she was in. With her speed what it was, she wouldn’t be able to dodge a knife if she truly threw it. “Another would replace me,” she said with a shrug. “One who isn’t so lenient.”

“Lenient?” Sylvanas laughed bitterly. “You’ve been far from that, you tyrant.”

Alleria ran her finger across the blunt length of a paring knife she found close by. “That is so unkind for you to say, don’t you think? The boy is still breathing when he should not be. If that isn’t leniency, what is?”

“What did you get from him in exchange for that _leniency_?”

Alleria tilted her head. “He has nothing of interest to give me or the organization, but you, on the other hand, have much to give for that sweet boy’s sake, don’t you?”

Sylvanas closed her grip on the biggest knife. “Do you think I’m an imbecile? You find a use for every single person you come across. That’s how you operate and how you got to where you are. I know you. You never lose a bargain.”

“Do control your temper. We wouldn’t want you to die before you got to have some of his delicious pancakes. What a little homemaker he is! Quaint and cute. I can see why you like the kid; he’s cozy and seems _delectable_ , too.”

“What more can I give you that you haven’t already taken from me, Alleria?”

“My overachieving little sister  _always_ has much more to give. For starters, you can give me results and finish what you started. You’ve relegated the research to Nathanos and his team, but he is paid to be your dog and follow you around like the good mutt he’s proven to be to avoid a crisis like the one you had.”

“It’s called multitasking. We’re all quite good at it.”

“Had you been running the team, we’d have results by now. You were so close! Postponing our progress to play house with a preacher’s son just won’t do. This is why I have made it easier for you to play with him. He will work for you. Cook for you. Warm your bed at night, if you wish. In return, you will go back to the lab and give me results. Then, we can finally put this miserable chapter behind us forever.”

“You didn’t object Nathanos taking over—”

“He said you were ill and having _episodes._  All lies. You were merely too busy _copulating_.”

“You seem intent on that point. Is your marriage on the rocks?”

Alleria stepped closer to her, the knife glinting under the light. “Let me clarify the situation for you, darling. I run the show. If I say I want you in the lab, you will be in the lab even if I have to tie you to the damned chair. You will run the experiments starting tomorrow morning and give me results within two weeks or your pretty boy will be buried alive in a coffin made, in part, out of Nathanos’ bones. Is that order explicit enough for you to follow, dear sister?”

Sylvanas tapped the tip of her knife over each of the buttons of her sister’s blouse.

“If you touch a single hair on either of their heads,” she said, calmer than she felt. “The information of _where_ you procure the so-called _volunteers_ for our experiments will make it to every major news outlet in the world. The Church of Light and the people will have you hung, like the very old days, for these crimes.”

“You’ll hang with me.”

“I already died once,” said Sylvanas.

Alleria chuckled, but by the twitch in her brows, Sylvanas could tell she had struck a nerve. “Is that why you left the work in Nathanos’ hands? You have suddenly developed _scruples_ about test subjects?”

“There are plenty of infected people in HQ.”

“We are not risking our soldiers.”

“Thus you prefer infecting more people?” Sylvanas considered it illogical. “Do you know what could happen with one misstep? We’re talking about a mass outbreak. Last time, the virus was deployed in strategic war zones and military bases and even then the spread was so fast it reached towns and cities within days of the first outbreaks. Do you want to unleash that here, in such a populated city? Are you out of your mind? If something goes wrong, no cure could fix it! Infecting the homeless is madness and cruelty.”

“Are you finished with your passionate advocacy for the wretched? Your affair with a holy man has left you so soft.”

“Not everyone who fucks a holy man remains a stone,” she said. “If your marriage is having troubles perhaps you should _soften up_.”

“Ours was a convenient union. Nothing more.”

“Oh, your feelings are shallow, but not for Turalyon. He might be the only person you have ever really cared for. Not even your son seems to matter—”

Alleria slapped her. “You ungrateful bitch. Feelings are a liability in this line of work. Perhaps if you had learned this lesson, you wouldn’t be in such a helpless situation.”

“I won’t stand for you to continue infecting the homeless or poor — or anyone. Not even our worst enemies deserve this madness.”

“You don’t get to decide that. You will run the tests on _whoever_ Ashvane provides and—”

“Fuck her and her classism.”

“Have you forgotten _who_ is truly behind everything? What’s at stake?” Alleria hissed. “Why these strong feelings of compassion for addicts whose lives are about to expire? After leading such useless, wasteful existences giving their last days to this cause is better than anything they have ever done or will do. I don’t care if I have to supply the entire lot of them so long as I can have _you_ back _._ ”

“Don’t you dare, Alleria. Don’t pretend you’re doing this for me!” Sylvanas shoved her away. “You don’t care about me.”

“I don’t care?” Alleria stabbed the knife right into the wall. “If that were true, I would have killed you when they brought you and the others back. I would have pulled a bullet in your head to relieve you of your infected misery, but I saw the possibility—”

“You saw your own glory! I should have _died_ — I should have been given peace. That was the right thing to do! What came back wasn’t your sister and what you saw wasn’t the _possibility_ of getting me back. What you saw was the glory of what bringing me back from the dead could mean. To cure me and reveal my true story to the world would make yourself seem a bigger savior than the Light! To show them all that it was not just me, your sister, but all the others — this is what you want! Money has never meant anything to you, but the glory — oh, the things you would do for the glory of our name, of _your name_! I just wish I could pinpoint when I lost you. Not to death or a virus or work, but to these sickening ideals and gross ambition of yours. When was it? Who made you this way? What happened to the sister I loved and admired with all of my heart? Who are _you_ , Alleria?”

Her sister was momentarily stunned by her outburst. The pain tore Sylvanas in half when Alleria smoothed her hair and let her impenetrable mask fall once more.

“You did not think much differently, Sylvanas. When you joined the organization you were committed to clean the world of filth. You became an assassin. You had the highest kill rate among the recruits.”

“Those were terrorists, drug lords, the worst of criminals. They were despicable people who deserved a far more painful death than what I delivered. The people you are—”

“They are also filth _,_ ” she said coldly. “Forgotten scum. They have better use in the lab.”

“Do you hear yourself, Alleria? This is precisely the kind of mentality that led to the Fifth World War. This was what drove those who created the virus.”

“And they were right. The only problem is they wanted to eradicate justice and the laws that make a functional society. They were radicals.”

“I see I waste my breath,” said Sylvanas, composing herself from the desire to find her sister somewhere in whoever this hardened woman was. “Bring me the convicts on death row.”

“You’ll experiment on prisoners?”

“They have been judged and sentenced by the judicial system you have some form of respect for at least.”

“Your petition is impossible to grant.”

“I thought nothing was impossible for the great Alleria Windrunner.”

“Watch your tone,” she hissed. “You have two weeks to give me results.” She turned on her heels and headed for the exit. Glancing over her shoulder, she said. “As for your threat — do your worst. Do you want to burn down the organization? Go ahead. Just know that it won’t bring Anduin or Nathanos back from the cold grave I will personally bury them in. Don’t test me, Sylvanas. You know I don’t bluff. I am a woman of action. I would hate to have to take from you more than life already has.”

* * *

“Tell me I didn’t hear what I think I heard— oh I did, didn’t I?” Taelia looked at Anduin with wide eyes. “By the pale look and baffled expression on your face, we both heard the _same exact terrible thing._ Why didn’t you tell me your girlfriend was an—”

Anduin hushed Taelia, pulling her as far away as possible from the kitchen where she had stood against his wishes to overhear Sylvanas’ conversation when the sister’s voices escalated into a full-blown argument. The sounds in that apartment, if so massive a property could be called that, warped and bounced in distorted echoes; unless they were close to the source of the noise, they could not tell what or who it was. Wanting a better handle on what was going on, Taelia had gone to eavesdrop. He was thankful she didn’t fight him as he brought them back next to a wide floor-to-ceiling pane window by the dining table. The view was fantastic, but Anduin was certain it wasn’t real, even though the cars and people below moved like normal.

“We have to pretend we didn’t hear a thing, Taelia.”

“You are seriously _not_ asking me to ignore that Ashvane’s name was mentioned or that they were talking about using the homeless as lab rats. Do you not get it? This is bad. This is… they’re talking the plague!”

“Shhh! Lower your voice.”

Anduin understood the indignation she felt. The same fire of disbelief and anger ignited him, but they would accomplish very little by acting recklessly brave in front of, well, a lioness. Alleria Windrunner was that and more. She was a woman who had probably always gotten what she wanted. Sylvanas had certainly described her as such. There was power in how Alleria spoke, in the way she moved. It wasn’t arrogance or vanity; it was just a woman who knew she had power. Up until that moment, Taelia believed they were only dealing with the shady dealings of a pharmaceutical company, but it was obvious by what they had heard that there were caught up in something far more sinister. Alleria’s threat had stretched to Taelia, too. If he did not cooperate in good will and faith, she would be drafted to a faraway place by the military where she would return as a corpse, at best. He knew Alleria was not exaggerating; she was a woman who didn’t play games.

“Anduin,” she said under her breath. “Do you realize what this means? Runas! Anduin, surely you thought of him! He didn’t take a hit. He was being honest! It’s the plague! Ashvane, that witch! She’s infecting those poor people who can’t defend themselves! Probably right under our noses! He said something about painful injections, remember? If we let him stay at the clinic… if he’s already been transferred to a hospital— no! Oh, Light, no! Not this all over again.”

“Keep your voice down, please! Do you think they’re going to let us leave if we challenge them now or make them aware we’re on to this? Think about it. We need to _pretend_ we are idiots. Let them think we’re stupid and dense. If they believe we’re blissfully unaware of the bigger picture, it’ll allow us to get out of here and do something about it. Right now they think I’m only a lovesick puppy—”

“Well, you kinda are, no offense.”

“None taken. You understand the point, though?”

“I think Ashvane is using the Mercy Clinic for these operations. She probably intends for Mrs. Proudmoore to take the fall should things get ugly. We can’t let this happen.”

“I know. I know… and I don’t intend to _not_ do something about it, but we have to be very careful. We have to act with our heads cool.”

Taelia bit her lip. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from punching that blond witch if I see her. The way she spoke makes my blood boil.”

“I doubt she’s going to stay. They’re fighting. She will probably storm off.”

“Once we’re a foot outside this place I am going to call my uncle—”

“No, no. Just… not yet. Please trust me. I know that I have probably earned your distrust with everything that’s happened—”

“That’s nonsense, Anduin. You didn’t know your girlfriend was an assassin.”

“She’s what—?”

“You weren’t listening in on that part, but I was. I clearly heard that blond witch say your girl was an assassin for _the organization_ — whatever shady agency that might be. I’m not so naive to believe our country hasn’t employed some questionable methods to take out scum from this world and that it’s quite likely some corrupt part of the government is behind all this. I’m not gullible, you know. I know we saw something we weren’t supposed to see and now your girlfriend’s bodyguard — though he does seem to me like her ex with how he acts — is trying to find a way for us not to get killed off for what we unwittingly discovered.”

“I’m sorry, Taelia.”

Anduin felt terrible. He had brought her into that world by an innocent request to have her drive him where Sylvanas was, not understanding that he doomed her to a fate that he was willing to accept for himself, but he could not force or bring upon her, yet she was as trapped as they were.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I can’t help feel it is, though. I shouldn’t have asked you to give me a ride.”

“Hey, stop that.”

“What did he say to you?”

“The brute, you mean?” She made a face. “He only said that if I didn’t want to die young and ugly, I should keep my mouth shut and come here every day for the next six to seven months. I’d pretend to work for a couple of hours and he’d pay me more than I earn at the library. As if free money was something I want! I like to earn my money!”

“You agreed despite suspecting all you do?”

“I couldn’t refuse, could I? And before you give me another puppy face,” she laughed, punching his shoulder playfully. It nearly knocked the wind out of him. “It’s alright! If I had been scared of what could happen, I would have left you there last night. I made a choice when I saw the brute pull a gun on you. I knew by going there and standing up to him that it might get ugly… and it has. That’s quite alright. I always wanted to go on an adventure. I didn’t think it would be so deadly, but I’ll take what I can get. Besides, now it’s personal. Now that I know the plague is involved, I’m not going anywhere. You know my story, Anduin. That damned virus wiped out my entire hometown. My father died in the frontlines, protecting people who turned before his eyes, and killed him.”

“I know, Taelia.”

“Then you also know I _have_ to do this, right? I can’t walk away now. They’re planning to make his sacrifice useless by unleashing that thing here, in our city. This is my second home. This is where the family who took me in lives and built a life. I’ll not let them take away the only family I have left, Anduin. This is _personal._ ”

“We may not come out of this, you know.”

“Yes, well, I’m sure no one expects to come back from any dangerous thing, but sometimes they do. I don’t mind if I don’t. Will you respect my decision to stay? To follow this through to the end?”

Anduin could not refuse her when he had asked the same of Sylvanas. “Alright. It’s your call. Since we’re in this together, let’s help each other. For the sake of a greater good.”

“If you really mean that we can’t have secrets,” she said. “We’re allies on the same team. We need to know what’s up so we’re on the same page. The witch has your girlfriend hanging over your head, I know that much, but I doubt she really wants you to cook for her and nothing more. I know she talked to you.”

Anduin thought it was fair. “She wants me to betray someone who is family to me.”

“Are you going to do it? For your girlfriend?”

Anduin looked at her. She was expecting him to say yes. He sighed, burying his face into his hands. Exhaustion made his muscles ache. He wanted to sleep. He had stayed up all night with Alleria, hearing out her terms and memorizing her plan. Jaina Proudmoore was a thorn in her side and though she didn’t specify why it didn’t take a genius to guess. His aunt, young as she was, had quickly climbed the ranks of the Investigative Bureau of Lawful Affairs — the IBLA, as they called it — to become one of the directors. Though Anduin wasn’t sure what department she worked for, he figured she had stumbled upon compromising leads that threatened whatever government organization Sylvanas and her sister were aligned with. Alleria’s enemy could be their greatest ally and he was certain he might be Jaina’s best entry into whatever she was investigating.

“I’m going to pretend I’ll do it. I could never hurt anyone I love.”

“Not even to save someone you love?”

“She loves me in part because I am incapable of that.”

Taelia exhaled. “Oooof! You had me worried for a second. Love is blind, I’m told. I thought you were far gone enough to go rogue on your family.”

“My thought is that if Alleria Windrunner wants this person out of the picture, then she is a formidable threat to her plans, and thus our best ally.”

“At least you have a mildly _competent_ idea, kid.”

Taelia hissed at the man who approached them with his typical scowl. Anduin began to believe his face had become permanently etched in that expression.

“Your aunt might be useful to Sylvanas’ countermeasures.”

Crossing his arms, Nathanos jutted his jaw to the window to confirm what Anduin had suspected. “A beautiful hologram, isn’t it? They say a city long destroyed by one of the wars was the inspiration for it. When you consider we keep repeating the mistakes of our ancestors you wonder if maybe we shouldn’t blow up the planet and quit.”

Taelia rolled her eyes. “Were you always so darkly emo or was that consequence of the stick you sat on while naked, you constipated brute?”

“Says the girl who can bench press a two-hundred and fifty-three-pound man as if he were a feather,” said Nathanos. “Who is the brute then? I can only see one and she stands before me.”

“Was I supposed to laugh?” She snorted in his face. “Maybe your jokes are too old and worn out, like your body!”

“What do you know about my body, silly girl?”

“Silly girl? Ran out of insults last night? Still sleepy?” She shooed him away. “Go drink some coffee so you can wake up your brain, if that’s even possible, you mustached orge.”

“Muzzle your ape girl, angel boy, or I’ll take pleasure in doing so myself.”

“I would like to see you _try._ I will have you flat on your bum faster than you can pull out another gun from wherever it is you hide them.”

Anduin rubbed his temples. “Can the two of you stop this senseless fighting? We need to work together.”

Nathanos shook a finger at him. “No, kid. You two need to simply come here and eat pancakes every day until I can find a way to return the two of you to the sandbox where you belong. You do as you advised your friend and keep a low profile.”

Taelia smirked. “Eavesdropping, were you?”

“A sport you seem to enjoy too, Fordragon?” Glancing to Anduin, he said. “I told you this house is aware of everything and I will know whatever happens here.”

“I see we must add stalker to the list of endless offenses.”

“Taelia, please.” Anduin sighed. “Cooperate here.”

“I refuse to listen to this brute. He intends to leave us out of the game—”

“This isn’t a game, ape girl. You can’t resurrect if you get killed by the enemy or replay a level if you screw up. You only get one shot and right now your aim is abysmal.”

“My aim is quite good, actually. Paint a bullseye on your forehead for me and I’ll show you just how sharp it is.”

“Taelia, please…”

“I’m just informing the old man that I’m not going to come here and eat pancakes while that witch is—”

Anduin elbowed her as discreetly as possible, but her jumpy response to his touch gave them away. Nathanos raised a brow at them. “You two are absolute failures at subtlety. Spit it is out before I make you vomit everything.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you, Nathanos.”

“And you shouldn’t. Unfortunately for me, Sylvanas has it in her mind to save you from this hell, so I’m inclined to facilitate things for her. You can trust in that, kid.”

Taelia rolled her eyes. “He has a name.”

“One I’m perfectly aware of and choosing to ignore, ape girl. Now, tell me, what were the two of you plotting huddled in the corner?”

“I want the same thing you do, Nathanos. I may not know _everything_ you want, but I know you want Sylvanas to live and be free.”

Nathanos only grunted in response, eyes narrowing at him. Then he glanced to Taelia. “What about you, ape girl? What made you so docile to the idea of working here when you’re so disagreeable?”

“At first I was only playing along to see what the hell all of this was about, you know, keeping my temper in check for Anduin’s sake — because he really loves his girlfriend.”

“And now?”

“Now?” She walked up to the older man and jabbed her finger into his chest. “Now, I know you bastards plan to disperse the plague through the city and infect thousands, no, _millions_ and I’ve made it my personal vow to stop you.”

The corner of Nathanos’ lips lifted in marginal amusement. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, it is… and laugh all you want, thinking me powerless, but when I have snapped your spine in half by the end of it, I’ll get that last chuckle.”

“I’m glad to hear you are against the plague,” said Sylvanas.

It was the first time Taelia was seeing her in the daylight — flushed with life — having seen her withered and grey the previous night. Still barefoot and in her white silk nightgown, she came to stand by Nathanos’ side. Her cat curled through her ankles, purring softly. She bent to pick her up and scratched behind her ears.

“I was reminded by someone that I could not go to war alone. A handful is still too few, but it’s better than two, and a start over nothing.” Extending her hand to Taelia, she smiled. “I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.”

Suddenly shy, Taelia shook her hand far less enthusiastically than when she met other people. “Hi. Glad to see you’re not dead… I mean, that you’re well. I’m… uh.. Taelia.”

“Sylvanas Windrunner,” she said. “Don’t worry about being blunt. I like straightforward people. Hypocrisy has always annoyed me.”

“As touching as these introductions are — this isn’t a picnic,” said Nathanos.

“Spoken like a truly sour man,” quipped Taelia. “If I’m allowed my bluntness, then if I may be so bold to say, you can’t keep us in the dark or send us back to the sandbox. That blond lady doesn’t seem like she forgets a face so I doubt we can just go home as if nothing were amiss. Don’t belittle us because we’re young. We’re more capable than we look, I assure you.”

Anduin could tell Sylvanas was impressed with her frankness.

“Careful with what you say,” said Nathanos. “You can’t take back what you expose here and there might still be a way—”

“No, there isn’t a way.” Anduin was thankful that it was Sylvanas who said it, that she had finally realized the truth of it. “Our first mistake was thinking we could save each other by keeping the worst secrets to ourselves. I will choose differently. I’ll see where it leads me this time.”

“If that is your wish,” Nathanos waved his hand. “Tell them _everything_ from the start. We’ll see if their resolve stands then. Let them really know what they’re getting into and if they can’t handle it, then we go with your original plan _._ ”

“Is that a reasonable offer we can all agree to?” Sylvanas asked.

Taelia nodded.

“Anduin?”

He sighed. “Yes, of course…”

“To everyone, I am a survivor of the Fifth World War,” she started. “This is the story the public knows, but that — like most of my life — is a lie. During the war, I was captured by the enemy. They tortured me for months trying to get intel out of me, but I would not give in. Eventually, I was killed. They tossed my body at the base where my entire squad was stationed. Nathanos found me.”

Anduin could scarcely believe what he was hearing. It must have shown on his face, for Sylvanas pressed on — faster — as if she was afraid he would walk out on her before listening to every last detail.

“He brought my corpse back where other bodies were. We would be sent back to our families to be buried as heroes.” Sylvanas steadied herself against the table. “I rose from the dead forty-eight hours later. Infected. Deranged. I killed everyone in that base. I turned them all — the living and the dead.”

“Except me,” said Nathanos. “Training dictated I should shoot her right in the head to stop her, then burn her, to stop regeneration. I couldn’t do it. Not when she recognized me in spite of her state.”

“He lured me into a containment chamber along with a few stragglers who seemed marginally conscious in spite of the virus. We were brought to HQ. They did the same with others. They called it _salvaging goods._ We ceased being people. We were only tools. Weapons. We were a potential for a new era of soldiers and warfare.”

Anduin could not help the shock he felt. The story sounded like something out of a horror movie — like the ones Wrathion enjoyed watching at the cinema and shredding apart with _logic._ Yet he was there looking at someone who had died by the plague, who was still alive, but _infected._ How could he have missed it? The way her fleshed turned gray, the bruising, the blood, and the way her eyes lost color — it was all like the symptoms he’d read in countless books at school.

Taelia dug her nails into her palm. Her city had been purged by fire and though she had been evacuated, she had seen everything from the plane that took them to safety. “How? I don’t understand. How are you—? How are you here? Like this? Why did some get salvaged and others _burned?_  They purged entire cities by fire! My home among them!”

“They couldn’t waste money on people that had no use to them,” replied Nathanos. “That is the mentality of your precious government.”

“But there’s no cure!” Taelia shouted. “You haven’t perfected the cure! So how are you here? How are you masquerading as a living person when you’re not?”

“Watch your mouth, ape girl.”

“Let her,” said Sylvanas. “She has a right to be upset. To ask questions. I am able to live by administering a drug that suppresses the virus.”

“It was the injection I administered,” Nathanos said. “You saw me do it last night.”

Anduin licked his lips, his mouth had gone dry. “Then what ails you is the—?”

“Yes, it’s the plague.”

“By the Light,” gasped Anduin.

“Don’t sound so scared, boy. You can’t get infected by having sex.” He smirked then. “Unless you bit him very hard, Sylvanas?”

_A terrible time to take your humor for a walk, Nathanos. Don’t worry, Anduin. The virus can’t be spread by superficial wounds and it can only be passed when the person is actively undead._

“Those bastards,” Taelia spat. “My father died because of—”

“Your father dead?” Nathanos snorted. “Please! The General was as solid as a rock. He was far too valuable to purge. No, girl, he’s not dead, but until a cure is—”

“Nathan, don’t—”

“Don’t?” Nathanos glared at her. “You said no more secrets.”

Sylvanas returned the hard look. “Does that mean I will finally get to hear yours?”

Taelia pushed between them. “What about my father? Tell me now or I swear to Galeheart, I will rip this entire place apart with my bare hands!”

_That might be a fun test for the structure of this home._

Nathanos was the one to answer. “He — like the rest of the ones deemed _valuable_ by the organization — is frozen in some underground facility in the middle of the desert, ape girl. And if you want to get him out, you better start by controlling your awful temper, or you won’t make it past the first level of this _game._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my notes begin with: "No, I'm not dead." I am the _worst_ at keeping update schedules. Truth be told, I've been dedicating my free time to my original stories and characters. I also took a break from WoW, but I'll be back for 8.2. It's hard to avoid or ignore game plot when you're playing and questing through their narrative decisions. I don't think I've felt this bad or deflated about the story in a very long time.
> 
> Huge thanks to the **Warcraft Writer's Guild** for the love and laughter; we're just a bunch of lunatics with crazy ideas, aren't we? And to "Iris" (Goo Goo Dolls) and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith) for being amazing background music while I wrote this monster. When even the AU is 7k a chapter, you know you have a problem.
> 
> P.S. I love Alleria very much. Even this Alleria. Yes, I said it.


End file.
